


'Cause I'm going to make this place your home

by Penny4yourThoughts



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Cute, Daycare, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Good Peter, How Do I Tag, Kid Fic, Kid Peter Parker, Light Angst, Original Character(s), Orphan Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26363503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penny4yourThoughts/pseuds/Penny4yourThoughts
Summary: When Tony meets up with his receptionist to check his schedule for the day he overhears a conversation, a kid by the name of Peter has been left behind at daycare with no one there to help him. It is now up to Tony to help find this boy's way back home...
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 138
Kudos: 668
Collections: Irondad and his Iron kids





	1. Hold on to me as we go

**Author's Note:**

> Yay a new work!
> 
> Sneak preview:  
> What seems to be the problem ladies?” Tony asked with a smirk, eyes hidden behind the colourful glasses. 
> 
> “Mr. Stark!” The woman previously talking irritatedly, turned around with wide eyes.
> 
> He raised his eyebrows in trepidation. 
> 
> “Well?”
> 
> “So uh… You see Mr. Stark… There seems to be a problem with the daycare here at… Stark… Industries…” The woman said trailing off while looking down.
> 
> Tony only then noticed the very small human hiding behind the woman’s legs.
> 
> “Hi” He said, somewhat shocked.
> 
> Title from: 'Home' by Philips Philip.

It was a normal, _pretty boring _friday afternoon, early evening.__

__Tony was just walking downstairs to meet up with the receptionist to talk about his schedule of the day, maybe tomorrow and the _lovely _amount of meetings. Pepper had the day off and he was really starting to feel his dependence on the woman.___ _

____He was looking down on his phone when suddenly a husked conversation caught his attention._ _ _ _

____“Well, I don’t know what to do anymore... I’m out of options here. I've tried calling them multiple times, I called their second emergency number, which turned out to be _fake _and… How could anybody do that….” The unknown woman said somewhat exasperatedly.___ _ _ _

______The receptionist behind the desk was also desperately typing something in on the computer._ _ _ _ _ _

______He slowed to a stop and slightly frowned at the pair who still had their backs to him. “What seems to be the problem ladies?” Tony asked with a smirk, eyes hidden behind the colourful glasses._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Mr. Stark!” The woman previously talking irritatedly, turned around with wide eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______He raised his eyebrows in trepidation._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“So uh… You see Mr. Stark… There seems to be a problem with the daycare here at… Stark… Industries…” The woman said trailing off while looking down._ _ _ _ _ _

______Tony only then noticed the very small human hiding behind the woman’s legs._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hi” He said, shocked._ _ _ _ _ _

______The little guy was staring up at him with sad and droopy eyes. He appeared to be very timid, the fingers of one hand disappearing in his mouth while the other held onto a what appeared to be a dirty rag doll bunny._ _ _ _ _ _

______He looked back up to the woman “So Deborah-” he said as he looked at her colourful name tag “Then what is the problem, I’m assuming also involves the little guy here with you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She looked down at the boy, moving her gaze between them, sighing. “His parents didn’t show up to pick him up… The daycare closed nearly two hours ago and I have tried calling them, but they wouldn’t pick up-” Deborah started to get riled up again so he quickly put up a hand to stop her before she could work herself into a panic attack._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So… No one came to pick him up…” He repeated, looking down at the boy who was staring at his worn out sneakers with a trembling lower lip._ _ _ _ _ _

______“That is correct, Sir” She sighed. “His parents have neglected him multiple times before…" Deborah whispered "I mean, his parents barely look after him, there-there were times where he showed up unwashed, multiple times actually and … It also isn’t the first time they’ve been late, but this time they haven’t showed up at all…” Deborah sighed out._ _ _ _ _ _

______Tony blew out a big breath through his nose as well._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m sowwy” A tiny voice piped up._ _ _ _ _ _

“No, no sweetheart… Listen Peter, -” _So his name was Peter _“None of this is your fault okay? None of it.”__

__________“Bu’ I was bad” He mumbled_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Peter, sweety… No one is mad at you, okay?" Deborah crouched down in front of the kid trying to catch the kid's gaze. " Lisen Peter. I promise you that no one is mad at you for anything. Not for spilling your drink, not for crying when you’re sad, not for having an accident a few days ago, and definitely _not _for staying a little longer than usual okay?”__

__________The kid, Peter, didn’t seem to agree. He kept staring down at his feet, dragging them across the floor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Deborah looked down sadly but looked back at a frowning Tony and stood up again. “Mr.Stark there have been clear signs of neglect by his parents and I have called CPS many times but… No one did anything. He still showed up in old, too small clothes, a few days ago even smelling faintly of urine or he would panic after spilling his drink, he isolates himself from other kids, often cries unexpectedly… ” Deborah listed off, also referring to the things she just comforted Peter about._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Which probably hadn’t been the first time either._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The young lady looked absolutely exhausted and out of her depth right now. The boy didn’t look much better either. He was clearly very tired and absolutely heartbroken at being forgotten…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tony thought about what to do for a moment and weighed his options. “How about you go home Deborah-” Tony started, Deborah looking ready to argue and Peter’s eyes welling up as he looked at the strange man. “I can take Peter here to my lab and have JARVIS use his technology to contact his parents. Maybe show him around a bit…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Deborah’s shoulders visibly relaxed at being offered an out “What do you think about that Peter? Would you like to go with Mr. Stark and to his lab? I know you love science and are a big fan of Iron man”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Peter stared up at her, only nodding in agreement at her reassuring smile. He removed the hand that was previously still in his mouth and extended it to Tony._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Before she could say anything, Tony grabbed the handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the kid’s little hand. “Let’s clean that first huh buddy?” He then grabbed hold of the little hand, having to lean sideways to be able to grab hold of it. “Go home Deborah. You’ve done good, but I’ll take over now, you should head home.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She looked like she wanted to protest but then nodded solemnly. She quickly gave Tony all the information needed and waved the pair goodbye as they walked back to the elevators._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Peter was quiet the whole way there and awkwardly shifted on his feet standing next to Tony. He realized that the whole situation must be overwhelming for the little guy… Waiting for his neglectful parents to show up and now having to follow some person he’d never met before.  
It would be a lot to take in for anyone, let alone a kid like him. From the looks of it he probably was barely even old enough to write his own name. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“So, your name is Peter right?” the young boy looked up at him, but didn’t say anything.  
He removed his hand from Tony’s bigger one to hold onto the ragdoll with both hands. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He hugged it close and stood awkwardly staring in front of him as he rubbed his eyes with the dirty... _rag _. “You tired buddy?” Tony asked._ _The kid nodded and surprisingly raised his arms in the universal sign of wanting to be picked up. Tony’s eyes widened a bit but did as he was ‘asked’._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He picked up the previously shy kid, who was surprisingly light despite being obvouisly young._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The little guy raised the bunny to his face and rubbed it over his face again in what appeared to be an attempt at comforting himself or rubbing the sleep out of his eyes ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Does the rabbit have a name?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Bean” was the short answer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“That’s a nice name” Tony smiled awkwardly. He moved his gaze to stare at his vague reflection in the elevator doors when he felt a sudden weight land on his shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He looked to the side and saw that Peter had laid his small head down on his shoulder. He tried to suppress his smile, shocked at himself for even having to do so, but still failed as a small smile crept on his face.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The elevator dinged announcing their arrival to the lab._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Good evening, Sir” The robotic voice of JARVIS spoke up making the poor boy flinch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“That’s my AI. He is a friendly robot”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As expected Peter didn’t respond._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“JARVIS, buddy. I’m going to have you do something for me, can you do that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“For you Sir, anything. “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, that’s really sweet, listen… I need you to get me information on the on site day care here. A list of names, phone numbers, search for a little guy named Peter.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He walked over to his desk, still holding a very tired Peter on his hip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________JARVIS went through the database of the onsite daycare while Tony looked at the little note Deborah had given him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Apparently the kid went by the name Peter Benjamin Parker. The name seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Before Tony could relay the information to JARVIS the robotic voice spoke up again. “I have found one result under the name of Peter.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“One Peter Benjamin Parker, age 4, is signed up for onsite daycare, under the name of one Mary Fitzgerald.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Okay… So search for Ms.Fitzgerald.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“There is no one by the name of Fitzgerald in the Stark Industries database...”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“What?” He looked at the note in his hand, before looking back at Peter.”JARVIS at what time do four-year-olds have to go to sleep?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“According to most research kids of the age of 4 should be in bed around 7 pm, Sir.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“And what time is it now?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“7:30 pm, Sir.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Shi-Shoot…” Tony muttered, looking down at the nearly dozing boy. “Uh, yeah… Gosh you must be tired huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He was surprised by the small hum that followed. Walking over to the couch the man slowly lowered the young boy on the couch. “So, Peter-”Tony started and pulled off the kid’s shoes. “Why don’t you just sleep for a little while while I look for a way of contacting your parents. I know this must be really scary, but I promise you that you’re safe”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Because you Iwon Man…” The kid mumbled, rubbing his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Sure kid, that’s right” Tony smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Peter laid down without any protest, soon closing his eyes and curling around one of the very few throw pillows on the couch. The kid was very relaxed and compliant around strangers, yes he was very timid, but was clearly used to just going along with everything and accepting everything as it was presented to him…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony grabbed the blanket he kept down in the lab and laid it out over Peter’s small form, who unsurprisingly already appeared to be fast asleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He noticed that he didn’t mind being around the little guy but decided not to dwell on that thought._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He asked JARVIS to lower the light at the side of the lab where Peter was sleeping, the only light now coming from the tech around him and the side of the spacious lab where Tony was seated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He looked at the files JARVIS had pulled up. “So you said, Peter is signed in under the name of one Mary Fitzpatrick, but no one with that name works here at Stark Industries…” Tony asked softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“That is correct, Sir”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“What about the name Parker? The name sounds familiar somehow”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“A Richard and Mary Parker have worked here at Stark Industries from the early two thousands, but were fired about a year ago due to suspicious behaviour…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“What kind of suspicious behaviour are we talking about?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Their research was deemed unethical by their colleagues and several complaints were filed. They specialized themselves in bioengineering, but were fired shortly after Stark Industries closed it’s weapon manufacturing. They were rumored to have been building biological weapons to possibly use as biological warfare.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Okay…We’ll get to that later. But how come Peter is still signed up at daycare?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Young Peter, according to his file, was born in August of 2004. At the time his parents were still employees at Stark Industries and sent their son to daycare when he was around the age of 9 months old. After they were fired in June of 2008, Peter remained signed up at the daycare but under a different last name of his guardian. I had some trouble finding the connection between Mary Fitzpatrick and Mary Parker so they must have attempted to cover their trail to still keep Peter signed up at daycare.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead. This just got a whole lot more complicated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“There have also been several complaints about the Parkers also coming from the people at daycare. Most of them are suspicions of neglect…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Why wasn’t I informed about this?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You were, Sir. Several of the complaints have been sent to you, but ended up getting ignored or forgotten. Ms. Potts eventually went over their dismissal after finally receiving a complaint about their weapon manufacturing. She had attempted to talk to you about it, but the situation of Afghanistan got in between, which is why she took it in her own hands.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony sighed. He sat at his desk staring at some old scratches from years of work and tinkering. He never realised the consequences of ignoring most of his paperwork had, until now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“If I may Sir, they have also received an official warning for possibly trying hack into Stark Industries systems to try and erase certain information”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Why the _hell _have they worked here for so long!?” _Tone bit out angrily, remembering just in time to lower his voice.___

_________________“Mr. Stane was rather fond of their work…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______________Of course he was ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

________________“That man is still causing trouble even from the grave” Tony murmured._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

________________He turned around to look back at Peter who appeared to still be peacefully sleeping on the couch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

________________“JARVIS, call Pepper. Tell her I need her”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _


	2. As we roll down, this unfamiliar road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony makes a few phone calls to discuss the matter at hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was thinking ( I know! Mind-blowing!)
> 
> I want to share some amazing vids every now and then to hopefully inspire and help someone out there :D
> 
> So the vid of today is:  
> 'We think to much and feel too little' by Slyfer2812 on YT 
> 
> https://youtu.be/5kuBR7kPT1Y  
> "While there is life there is hope."

After maybe a ring or two, Pepper picked up. “Okay what did you do this time?”The woman sighed in lieu of a hello.

“Well good evening to you too, Miss Potts”

“Get to the point Tony…” 

“What if I just wanted to call you to see how you are doing?” The man smiled.

“We both know you never do that” Pepper replied stoically

_Yeah… Maybe he should do that more often... ___

__“Well… I do genuinely want to know how you are… Miss Potts…”_ _

__Pepper sighed “I’m doing fine Tony. I was doing perfectly fine you know? Enjoying my day off and everything” She mocked “But I know you are not just calling to check up on me, so what’s up Tony? Who did you piss off this time?”_ _

__“Why do you immediately assume I pissed someone off? I’ll have you know-”_ _

__“Tony”_ _

__“Right. So… I didn’t piss off anyone, but I do need your help a little… There’s a bit of a situation here and I need your advice” He was gonna ignore the ‘that’s a first’ from her…  
“So uhh… You know how there is an on site daycare here at SI?”_ _

__“Yes Tony”_ _

__“Well, you see… There’s a kid here, who’s parents never showed up”_ _

__“Okay… So call them”_ _

__“That’s the thing, Pep… There is no record of his parents… The name Parker ring any bells? Yeah. So they basically committed fraud and still somehow had Peter signed up, but under a different name here and now basically abandoned him. According to JARVIS they tried to hack into the systems, masking the fact that the kid was signed up under a name of a person that doesn’t even work here.”_ _

__She was quiet for a while “Okay… I want to know how that happened, but first things first… What happened to the kid? You didn’t just leave him there or something did you?”_ _

__“Wha-? What monster do you take me for? Doesn’t matter… Anyway the kid… He’s here with me. Sleeping”_ _

__“In the lab?”_ _

__“Where else?”_ _

__“That’s-” She sighed loudly. “Look, if no one has come to pick him up you’ll have to try something else… You can’t just keep him there. Especially the lab. Who knows what a kid could get up to there. How old is the boy anyway?”_ _

__“He’s four… And I tried looking for alternatives, but even his second emergency number is fake. I don’t know what to do here.” Tony sighed_ _

__“Well... -” Pepper replied sadly “I think you need to call CPS, Tony… They know how to deal with this sort of thing. Look, I think it’s really admirable how you clearly already care for the boy, but this is not something _we _can easily fix Tony”___ _

“But if I call CPS they are just going to throw him into the system like he’s nothing. He needs someone who can take care of him, Pep. He’s four! He probably doesn’t even know how to write his own name yet” Tony muttered

“Well what do you insist on doing then?” Pepper asked 

“I don’t know,” Tony said dejectedly. “What if... What if I keep him here for the night? I can give Deborah a call to see what she thinks and then maybe tomorrow morning I give CPS a call. Who knows, perhaps his parents suddenly realise their mistake ”

“You can’t just keep him there, Tony… I know your intentions are right, I really do, but someone else might not agree and think that you are kidnapping him or something. Don’t get defensive Tony, this is a young boy we’re talking about”

“A young boy with parents that don’t give two shits about him” Tony bit out. 

“Alright Tony… Do what you think is best, but… Don’t get too involved okay? You obviously already feel for the boy, perhaps even relate to him in a way, but there are some things even you can’t fix.”

Tony was quiet for a moment. He rubbed his forehead “I know... “ Tony sighed “I’ll see what I can do… Thank you Pepper.”

“You’re welcome Tony… Let me know what happens okay? And send me the files on the Parkers and the files on the kid, I’ll see what I can do”

“I will. Thank you, Miss Potts.”

Pepper chuckled. “Will that be all, Mr.Stark?”

“Yes that will be all, thank you” Tony said softly. 

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Tony stared at the computer screen in front of him until the words started blurring together, the words that were laid out in front of him holding so much sadness. 

He turned around in his chair to look at the young boy sleeping on the old couch.

The kid’s face was peaceful and almost angelic, brown curls falling over his eyes. He watched with sadness in his chest as the little kid breathed softly, oblivious to everything happening around him. 

He picked up his phone once more and dialed Deborah’s phone.

“This is Deborah speaking”

“Hey Deb! It’s Tony.”

“Mr.Stark! Oh uh, good evening! Did you manage to reach Pete’s parents?”

“Uh, sadly no… But that’s also why I’m calling”

Deborah sighed sadly, the weight that was weighing down on her shoulders was clear even through the phone. 

“From what I could find neither of the kid’s parents actually still work here at SI… They had him signed up under a different name and everything-”

“Mr. Stark I am so sorry I didn’t know! I uh- his mom came in one day and said she wanted to, to uhm change his files and put him under her name… I didn’t question it at the time but-”

“Deborah calm down. I’m not accusing you of anything. The Parkers… They are deceptive, fraudulent and one could even say evil…Look, I’ve talked to Pepper and she told me to call CPS, but before I do anything I wanted to talk to you first since you’ve probably known the boy the longest and-”

“You can’t just ship him off to CPS, Mr. Stark. I’m sorry sir, but… Peter has been going to daycare pretty much every day for the majority of his life. The daycare and the people here are pretty much all he knows! Just sending him away would be cruel. He would end up in foster care and who knows where he would end up!” 

“I agree, but he can’t just stay here at the tower for the rest of his life, he needs someone that can love him and nurture him… I know you’ve done so much for him already, but he can’t live the rest of his life at daycare.”

“I understand,” Deborah replied thickly.

“What I want to do is just keep Peter here with me for at least tonight and maybe tomorrow so that I can find more information on his parents and see if anyone reaches out or if he has any other family that can take care of him. Peter will be staying with me for the time being, but I can’t take care of a kid… So if I don’t find anyone I’m afraid I’m gonna have to call the authorities... “

Deborah sighed in which almost sounded like relief “Okay Mr. Stark that sounds good. I… I would take him in if I could, but I don’t have the time or, or the life where I can take care of a kid… I’ve thought of it, I really have! And maybe if you don’t find his family I might reconsider it but, I wasn’t really planning on having kids and… Peter deserves more. So please… Whatever you do all I ask you is to just please take care of him…”

“I will. I promise.” Tony looked over to the boy again. Seeing that he was still sleeping in the clothes he wore that day. “Okay so… Peter can stay with me for the night, but I don’t have anything to take care of a kid and I was hoping you would know how to help with that”

“Oh of course! There are extra clothes and blankets at the daycare so you can just grab those.”

“Alright. Does a kid need anything else?”

“He has Bean with him right?”

“Uh yeah?”

“Then he probably doesn’t need anything else. Peter is very easy going, he won’t be any trouble. If you need anything you can just grab it form daycare or call me”

“Got it. Thank you Deborah. Sorry for calling you in your free time.”

“It’s no problem Mr. Stark. You can call me anytime”

“Thank you Deb. Have a good night”

“Likewise, Mr.Stark. Goodnight”

They hung up the phone and Tony placed the phone on his desk. He stood up from the chair and walked over to where the kid was sleeping. 

He didn’t want to leave the kid all on his own so it was probably better to just take him with him.

Gently shaking the kid’s shoulder, Tony tried to wake the kid. 

“Hey buddy” he said softly “Let’s get you some pajamas huh? Then you can go back to sleeping”

Peter slowly opened his eyes, rubbing his face with the ragdoll bunny as he started to slowly wake up. “Daddy?”  
Tony’s mouth dropped open, his heart feeling like it stopped for a second “Uh, no kid. Sorry I’m not your Dad. You’re with Iron Man, remember?”

“Iron man” The kid simply stated

“Yup, Iron man. We need to get you some clothes buddy”

“I dirty?”The kid asked somewhat alarmed

“No, no… We just need to get you some more comfortable clothes. You’re gonna stay with me tonight okay? Just for the night, but you need some more comfy clothes, right?”

“Okay” The kid agreed easily. 

“Okay? Okay… Well let’s go get you something then, come on” He stuck his hand out which Peter tiredly grabbed.

Not long after the kid grabbed his hand he realized it was probably easier to carry him as the kid was dragging his feet and apparently having trouble just staying on his feet. 

Again the boy dropped his head on Tony’s broad shoulder. 

“Where is mommy?” Peter asked 

“Uhh… Mommy is not here at the moment, buddy”

“She gone again?”

_Again? _“I don’t know, kid”__

__The rest of the ride to the floor with the on site daycare happened in silence. Peter was sucking on his thumb with the bunny clutched in the same fist._ _

__The doors opened not much later and Tony walked through the hallway towards the daycare. It was weird walking around the tower later at night. Barely anyone was around, most of the rooms dark and the night sky visible through the large windows. It was later in the year so it got dark sooner, making it seem like it was the middle of the night already._ _

__He was able to get into the daycare with JARVIS’ help, turning on the lights and looking around. He couldn’t remember if he had ever been in the room. He never had a reason to._ _

__Peter wiggled in his arms and started pointing to the ground in what he assumed was to be put down on the ground. He put the kid on his feet and walked over to the doors with a sign saying it was the storage room._ _

__He quickly grabbed some sweatpants and a plain t-shirt he assumed would fit the kid. He also grabbed some blankets for good measure._ _

__He closed the door and turned around to see what Peter was up to, just as the kid came walking over again._ _

__The little boy was holding onto some toy dinosaur and a toy car._ _

__“You gon’ take those with you kid?” He asked the boy._ _

__Peter nodded, trying to hold onto the toys in his tiny hands. He raised both his arms again, making the man chuckle._ _

__“You ready to go Pete?”_ _

__The boy nodded, hugging Tony around his neck._ _

__“Alright, let’s go”_ _

______ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! There you go!
> 
> Not much happened in this chapter, but I still feel like it was important :)  
> I write when I get ideas and when I feel inspired so that I don't feel like I'm forced to write anything and the story is more genuine? If that makes sense? 
> 
> Well let me know what you think! Your comments truly help getting this story together, so thank you for all your comments and kind words <3 
> 
> Lots of love! 
> 
> Vid of today: https://youtu.be/5kuBR7kPT1Y  
> "...While there is life there is hope."


	3. And although this wave is stringing us along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter spends the first night at the tower, will Tony know how to deal with a little kid under his wing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow I didn't realise how long it had been... Whoops...
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Previously on 'Cause I'm going to make this place your home: 
> 
> “You gon’ take those with you kid?” He asked the boy. 
> 
> Peter nodded, trying to hold onto the toys in his tiny hands. He raised both his arms again, making the man chuckle.
> 
> “You ready to go Pete?”
> 
> The boy nodded, hugging Tony around his neck.
> 
> “Alright, let’s go”

After they had picked up some clothes from the daycare, Peter and Tony went back towards the penthouse. The kid was silently playing with the toy dinosaur and toy car, while Tony carried him around.

The doors of the elevator opened, revealing the spacious floor. Automatically the lights turned on slowly, casting a warm glow over the often quiet room.

He sighed as he looked around, suddenly sad at the silence that always seemed to linger around. He wondered what it would be like to come home to a wife, to a family… Hell, maybe even a dog…

Trying not to dwell on the thoughts, he walked the dark hallway towards the guest rooms of the floor. Funnily enough the guest rooms hadn’t even been used that much, apart from when Rhodey would visit. 

He walked in the very first room down the hallway, JARVIS turning on the lights as he stepped inside. Peter looked around with wide eyes at the spacious room, letting the toys drop down a bit. To Tony the room was boring, light brown coloured walls and expensive sheets but nothing that made the room feel special. 

“Down you go” Tony said, letting Peter drop down on the bed. The kid bounced a little on the soft mattress, making him giggle.

“Okay, buddy. Time to get ready for bed now”

Peter nodded silently. 

“Do you need help? Like… With getting ready for bed?” Tony asked awkwardly

The boy looked at him confused and nodded again while sliding off the bed. Tony smirked at the fact that the small kid was pretty much as tall as the bed, being just big enough to be able to place his most precious items on the sheets.

He walked over to the man and reached out his tiny hand again. Tony muttered a soft ‘Right’ and grabbed the hand, leading them both towards the bathroom. 

“Let’s get you into some clean clothes, huh?” 

He was moving to walk out the door again when he noticed the kid had reached up his arms, watching Tony with curious eyes. Tony stared back at the kid questiongly before he even realised what the kid was asking.

“Oh! You need help with the shirt?”

The kid raised a questioning eyebrow, dropping his arms a little before stretching them again and looking at the shirt before staring back at the man.

Tony sighed but then still reluctantly kneeled in front of the kid and helped him get out of his shirt. He moved to the pants next, Peter obediently stepping out of it while holding onto Tony’s arms.

“Let’s keep the underwear on for now, okay?” He wasn’t going to risk getting accused of anything when he pretty much already kidnapped a child.

He pulled the slightly too big shirt over the kids head causing the curls to get fluffed up even more. He held out the small sweat pants in front of the boy, Peter yet again grabbed hold of his arms and slowly maneuvered his legs. Once he had the kid dressed he looked around the room… 

He had nothing to take care of a kid… 

“Well let’s skip brushing your teeth for the night okay? Don’t make it a habit though! Your teeth will rot out of your mouth” He knew he was rambling but didn’t know how to stop. This whole thing was odd and new and he was used to filling up silence with useless rambling or loud music. 

“Okay, why don’t you go pee real quick? Oh god, do you need help with that too?”

He really hoped he didn't

“No, I big boy”

“Okay, you’re a big boy. Wait, can you even reach the toilet?” 

Peter turned his head towards the toilet, shaking his head with a frown. 

Tony desperately tried to hold in a sigh “Let me see if I can find anything…” He ended up having to drag an ottoman from the living room to the bathroom so that the kid could reach the damn toilet… And so this is where he was right now, standing outside of the bathroom waiting for the little guy to be finished, he sighed in both embarrassment and maybe a little helplessness at the situation…

God, what had he gotten himself into? 

Not much later the kid came walking out of the bathroom, still staring at him wide eyed and hesitant. 

“Did you wash your hands?”

The kid shook his head and then pointed at the sink “It high” the boy mumbled

“Oh of course…Here let me help you“ 

He walked back into the bathroom and picked the kid up under his armpits, holding him in front of the sink as Peter silently washed his hands while Tony held him up, the kid’s tiny socked feet dangling between them. 

Tony looked up at his own reflection in the mirror in front of him. It was… Odd to say the least, seeing himself with a little kid in his arms, but somehow it still felt naturel. 

He had never really thought about having kids. Too busy and probably never good enough was the automatic response...

Before he could think too far ahead, the boy turned off the tap and shook his hands, only to just dry them on his shirt. 

“Alright kiddo, it’s way past your bedtime so let’s get you in to bed now” Tony said again as he placed the boy back on his feet

Holding a protective hand behind the kid’s head they walked out of the adjoining bathroom towards the large bed. 

Tony picked the boy up again and put him down on the bed. He pulled back the soft sheets back so that the boy could get in.

The kid didn’t even need more prompting as he just flopped down on the bed, placing the dinosaur and the car on the bedside table and pulling the bunny under his chin. 

Tony pulled the blanket over the kid’s small body. As soon as the kid was tucked in, his eyes started fluttering. 

Tony stood next to the bed awkwardly, not really sure what to do or say now. 

“Okay kid. If you need anything, let me know. Goodnight.”  
_Nailed it ___

He walked out the door, nearly slamming it shut before he remembered to turn off the lights. Without thinking, he leaned his head around the door and switched off the light and walked away, closing the door behind him.

Normally he would go down to the lab to work on his suits and drown out his thoughts with loud music, but today’s shenanigans had him feeling nearly as exhausted as the kid was.

‘Oh well… An early night wasn’t going to hurt anyone’ He got ready for bed himself, the whole time lost in thought about what had occurred that day.

JARVIS turned off the lights as soon as he pulled the covers over himself. He stared at the ceiling again, but soon enough felt sleep tugging at his eyelids.

Surprisingly enough he managed to fall asleep quite quickly. Perhaps because he hadn’t had a full night’s rest in four day or maybe because of the day he had. It didn’t really matter anyway. 

* * *

It couldn’t even have been more than three hours before he was _rudely _awoken by JARVIS.__

___“Sir? It appears that Mr.Peter is in distress”_ _ _

____‘Who?’_ _ _ _

Oh. God, it took him a moment before today’s, or was it yesterday’s?, events even caught up to him. 

_____He sighed again, but did slowly slide out of bed, rubbing a hand over his face to help wake him up._ _ _ _ _

_____“Do you have any idea why the kid is upset, JAR?” He asked tiredly. He was so not ready to deal with any kind of thing at the moment._ _ _ _ _

_____“I’m unsure, boss. He seems to just have woken before starting to get distressed”_ _ _ _ _

_____Whatever it was, it didn’t really matter much anymore as he approached the door of the guest room. He raised his hand to knock softly on the door but stopped as he heard something from the room._ _ _ _ _

_____“Mommy? Daddy?” A hiccup. “Mommy?” It was silent for a moment before a tiny cry was heard and the boy cried out for his mom again._ _ _ _ _

_____Okay… That was a little heartbreaking…_ _ _ _ _

_____He slowly opened the door without knocking and watched as the lights from the hallway illuminated a small part of the room._ _ _ _ _

_____The boy didn’t even seem to notice him at first. Eyes screwed shut and whiping his small tears with his fist and bunny, he sniffled sadly._ _ _ _ _

_____He mumbled a small and heartbroken ‘mommy?’ again and Tony just couldn’t take it any longer._ _ _ _ _

_____“Peter?” He spoke up softly._ _ _ _ _

_____The boy’s gaze snapped up to him and somehow, seeing him made the little kid’s bottom lip wobble._ _ _ _ _

_____“JARVIS, turn on the lights a bit will you? Hey kid… What’s wrong?” Jesus. What a stupid question… Real smooth_ _ _ _ _

_____“I want my mommy” Peter cried softly._ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

_____“I know…” Tony sighed “But mommy is not here right now, okay? I promise I will do my best to find her buddy” He tried to console the boy._ _ _ _ _

_____The boy nodded again_ _ _ _ _

_____“Did you have a bad dream?”_ _ _ _ _

_____A shake._ _ _ _ _

_____“JARVIS? Any ideas?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Peter seemed to have been frightened after the lights got turned off but managed to fall asleep after around thirty minutes later, but awoke about three hours later. From what I can find there is nothing wrong with the boy. However, new and unpredictable situations can be very frightening to young kids” The British voice said._ _ _ _ _

_____“Uhm. Well, buddy… Do you want to watch a movie in the living room or something?“_ _ _ _ _

_____A nod._ _ _ _ _

_____“Okay, come on then”_ _ _ _ _

_____This time it was Tony who reached out a hand first. Peter slid off the bed and gratefully held onto the much bigger hand of the man watching over him._ _ _ _ _

_____“JARVIS turn on some Disney movie appropriate for his age please?”_ _ _ _ _

_____He led the boy towards the living room, his feet soundlessly walking on the hardwood floor. The kid climbed on the couch and Tony settled down next to him as the movie started playing._ _ _ _ _

_____Not much later after the movie started, Tony could already see the fatigue creeping up on the boy. He somehow got quite distracted by the movie and only became aware of the boy again when he felt something press into his side._ _ _ _ _

_____Peter was slowly starting to list to the side, his head connecting with the man’s ribs. Tony wasn’t sure what to do, so he just remained very quiet and moved his attention back to the screen in front of him._ _ _ _ _

_____The kid eventually managed to fall asleep on the couch, tiny legs pointed out in front of him and head leant against the man’s side. His soft eyelashes tickling his cheeks and facial features relaxed._ _ _ _ _

_____Tony looked down at the sleeping boy. He couldn't really do much... The weight the kid provided was almost comforting and he didn't want to wake the kid by moving him. And well, that is how he ended up sitting on the couch with the boy still pressed into him, for the majority of the night…_ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Will Tony learn how to deal with a kid or will he send Peter away? 
> 
> I'm not so sure about this chapter so I will most likely edit a little bit later :)  
> 
> 
> Let me know what you guys thought about this chapter and my writing in general. I feel like I write too much in the past tense and that might be a little annoying, but maybe I'm wrong... uwu 
> 
> I wish you all a lovely weekend!
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


	4. Just know you're not alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4  
> It's the kid's first morning at the tower and after a messy breakfast Tony decides to take the kid to his lab. He really should have listened to Pepper... 
> 
> Previously on 'Cause I'm going to make this place your home:  
>  _The kid eventually managed to fall asleep on the couch, tiny legs pointed out in front of him and head leant against the man’s side. His soft eyelashes tickling his cheeks and facial features relaxed._
> 
> _Tony looked down at the sleeping boy. He couldn't really do much... The weight the kid provided was almost comforting and he didn't want to wake the kid by moving him. And well, that is how he ended up sitting on the couch with the boy still pressed into him, for the majority of the night… ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii! How is everybody?
> 
> I hope you are all doing okay <3
> 
> I edited the last chapter a few days ago so feel free to check that out if you want to although I don't think much changed. (In case you were wondering why the ending seemed to be a little different)  
> Here's chapter 4 anyway, I hope you enjoy!!

Tony ended up taking the boy back to the guest room anyway. When he was absolutely certain the boy was deep asleep he carefully and admittedly a bit awkwardly, gathered him in his arms and walked back into the room where the sheets were still thrown aside on the large bed. 

He gently lowered him back onto the soft mattress, but when he tried to stand back up again he suddenly felt a small hand tugging at his shirt's collar. He looked to the side and was surprised to see that the kid had grabbed onto him in his sleep. 

A small smile creeped up on his face at the innocent childlike gesture. He grabbed hold of the much smaller hand while he laid the kid down and removed his other arm from under the kid’s warm back. For a moment he held his much larger and calloused hand over the soft small hand of the boy. He was suddenly a bit lost in thought while looking down at the serene face of the kid. He was suddenly filled with a sense of nostalgia, memories of JARVIS carrying him to bed when he would fall asleep at his desk and his father was to busy to notice him. 

Figuring he should probably head back to bed himself, he tried to dislodge the hand from his shirt collar. He carefully tugged at the hand until the kid let go of him, and moved the tiny hand to rest atop of the soft blanket.

Remembering what JARVIS had told him before, he turned on the bedside lamp next to the kids head before straightening up and stretching out his back. He looked down at the boy again and without really thinking about it brushed the small curls away from his face, tucking a lose curl behind his ear. 

_He could have sworn he saw a small smile appear on the kid’s face… ___

* * *

The next morning he groaned loudly as he was woken up by JARVIS, _again _.__

____

___The sun had barely even risen, only confirming that it was way too damn early to even be waking up. Especially on a saturday_ _ _

__

___“Good morning, sir” The robotic voice spoke up with what almost sounded like a hint of amusement in his voice_ _ _

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___“Why… What in… Why did you wake me up this early, JAR?” He groaned_ _ _

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___“It seems that Mr. Parker has been awake for about thirty minutes now sir, and is starting to get restless”_ _ _

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___“What time is it?”_ _ _

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___“It is 07:30, on a saturday morning, sir. Today’s weather forecast-”_ _ _

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___“Oh my god. Yeah tell me about the weather later” He sighed out. He rubbed a hand over his face, debating whether it was worth it to even get out of bed when he remembered the kid again._ _ _

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___“Why do kids always have to be up so early…” Tony muttered as he slowly got out of bed. He shuffled his feet into his worn slippers and started walking out of the room “And what do you mean by he is getting restless?”_ _ _

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___“Young Peter had woken up at approximately 07:02 and has been playing with his toys for a little while now, but started asking if he was allowed to leave the room at around 07:27. He appears to be hungry and perhaps a little lonely therefore perhaps a bit restless. New situations can often-”_ _ _

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___“Yeah yeah, so you've said…” He sighed_ _ _

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___He approached the guest room and just as he was about to open the door he heard the kid call out from behind the door“Mr. Tomy? I’m awake now, Mr.Tomy… ”_ _ _

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___He opened the door and looked down to see the boy sitting down not too far from the door. He stared up at him and as usual didn’t say anything, just kept staring…_ _ _

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___“Morning, kid” He smiled_ _ _

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___“Hi” The boy whispered. _Well that was new____

________“What you doing there, Pete?” He chuckled_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_____He gestured towards the disassembled toy car. Peter followed his gaze for a second before he went right back to staring at the man._ _ _ _ _

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_____He shrugged._ _ _ _ _

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_____“Were you curious or just bored?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____A nod._ _ _ _ _

_____… Awesome…_ _ _ _ _

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_____The kid held a few parts of the car, proudly showing the man._ _ _ _ _

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_____“You like cars?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____Another nod. “I want to see how it work” Peter mumbled as he moved some parts around on the carpet._ _ _ _ _

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_____“Oh, okay…”_ _ _ _ _

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_____He didn’t really know what to do next, but turns out he didn’t really need to as the sound of the kid’s stomach rumbling was suddenly audible throughout the room._ _ _ _ _

_____The kid's eyes widened and groaned a bit and folded in on himself._ _ _ _ _

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_____Tony smiled “You hungry, kid?’_ _ _ _ _

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_____The kid sat up and nodded again. “I go now?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____What was that supposed to mean? “Go where?” He asked the boy_ _ _ _ _

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_____Peter just pointed to the hallway. Tony turned around to follow his movement, but didn’t see anything there so he turned back to Peter. His eyebrows furrowed and he was just about to ask again when the boy spoke up_ _ _ _ _

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_____“I leave now?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____It took a moment to let what the kid said sink in, his brain working much slower at this time of the day “Oh! Of course, kid. You were allowed to go out of the- your room. Uhm. Good thing you asked though? Good job” Is that what he was supposed to say? Is that how you handle kids?_ _ _ _ _

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_____The boy’s stomach grumbled loudly again and the boy looked down at the car parts sadly as if he was debating on what he was supposed to do..._ _ _ _ _

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_____“We can fix that car later, Peter. If you want to, that is…”_ _ _ _ _

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_____His young eyes filled with hope and Peter nodded again before carefully getting to his feet. He grabbed the bunny again that laid on the floor next to what once was a car and walked over to Tony, still keeping his eyes on him as much as possible._ _ _ _ _

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_____“You uh, you want breakfast?” Tony asked awkwardly._ _ _ _ _

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_____A shy grin appeared on Peter’s face as he walked over to him quickly and immediately grabbed hold of Tony’s hand that was hanging at his side. He just kind of figured that was just the kid’s thing. The same with the not talking and staring at him as if he had just grown a second head._ _ _ _ _

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_____They walked out into the hallway and towards the kitchen “What do you want for breakfast, kid? Do you like pancakes?”_ He asked as he looked at everything they had in the kitchen. _ _ _ _

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_____“Pancakes!” The kid repeated excitedly. Pancakes it is then._ _ _ _ _

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_____Once they had settled on what to eat, he looked around the empty kitchen lit up by the morning sun, wondering what to do with the kid now. He picked the boy up and placed him down on the kitchen counter so he could watch what he was doing. The boy didn’t seem to mind so it must be fine._ _ _ _ _

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_____“Okay… Uhm, JAR? Recipes on how to make pancakes?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____JARVIS then listed the ingredients while Tony looked around the kitchen to make them breakfast._ _ _ _ _

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_____But… As it turns out he had barely anything in the cupboards, let alone ingredients to make pancakes._ _ _ _ _

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_____“Shall I order breakfast from the nearest breakfast place, sir?” JARVIS asked_ _ _ _ _

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_____“Yeah, you do that” Tony sighed a bit embarrassed._ _ _ _ _

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_____He turned to face the kid swinging his legs as he sat on the kitchen counter. “Looks like we have to wait for a bit, kiddo. You want a banana?”_ _ _ _ _

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_____“Yes pwease” Peter mumbled around the bunny’s ear he was currently sucking on._ _ _ _ _

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_____He grabbed a banana from the luckily filled fruit bowl and handed it over to the boy, who in true Peter fashion just kept staring at the fruit and at him. He grabbed the fruit, looked at it and handed it back to the man, confusing him even more._ _ _ _ _

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_____There was an awkward silence between them for a moment... “Can you open it for me pwease? “_ _ _ _ _

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_____“Oh shi-shoot. Of course bud”_ Dear christ he was already failing... _ _ _ _

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_____He took the banana from the boy and peeled it before handing it back to the eager boy. The kid took a large bite and munched on it while curiously looking around the kitchen._ _ _ _ _

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_____Around twenty minutes later their food arrived and they both ate their pancakes in silence at the dinner table. In order to reach the table Tony had to actually stack some pillows on the kid’s chair and make sure to watch him so he didn’t topple right off. The scene having something so domestic it made him feel... Weird. Uncomfortable wasn't the right word. He wasn't anxious or anything. It was nice... Nice to have someone at the dinner table with him._ _ _ _ _

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_____After Tony finished his breakfast he looked up to see the kid happily munching on the last piece of his pancake, but from the looks of it he had smeared most of the syrup all over his face, making the man laugh._ _ _ _ _

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_____“You’re supposed to eat that kiddo” The man laughed, only laughing harder at the confused look he got from the kid._ _ _ _ _

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_____He got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen counter, quickly grabbing some paper towels. By the time he got back to the table the boy had finished the last of his breakfast and was looking around curiously. There was syrup everywhere... On the table, his face, even the floor!_ _ _ _ _

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_____“You really are a mess now, huh?” He smiled._ _ _ _ _

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_____The boy giggled a little bit, making the man’s chest feel warm. He handed the kid the paper towel and told the boy to wipe his face as he grabbed both of their plates. The boy did so, although he missed quite a bit, still leaving most of the syrup on his cheeks._ _ _ _ _

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_____Tony sighed and grabbed the napkin from the kid and wiped off the bits he missed._ _ _ _ _

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_____Well… What now?_ _ _ _ _

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_____“What you wanna do now kiddo?”_ _ _ _ _

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The boy shrugged. _Figures_

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_________“You, uh… You wanna see the lab or something? You liked cars and tinkering right?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______The boy nodded excitedly “Can we fix my car?” The boy asked quietly._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______“Sure, let’s go”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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* * *

_______He took the kid to the lab after they had grabbed all the pieces of the toy car._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______Turns out, from the looks of it was a pull back car and the kid probably took it apart to see how it worked._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Peter walked alongside him as he entered the lab. They walked over to Tony’s desk, Tony expertly stepping around all the scraps and tools lying around._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______He should have known though, that the kid wouldn’t be able to do the same._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______He stepped over some wires and turned around just in time to see Peter try to do the same, but lacking the motor skills and getting his foot stuck under the wire._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______“Watch out kid!” He tried to warn the kid, but he was too late._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______The boy lost his footing and tripped over the wire. He shot out his hands to try and catch himself, but fell forward face first…. Directly onto the corner of his toolbox._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______For a moment the whole room was dead silent, before Peter slowly raised himself on his hands and started to whimper a little and then burst into tears. He raised a small hand towards his head where he hit it on the sharp corner of the toolbox. He sat on the ground, his face already red from crying and fat tears rolling down his cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______Tony stood shocked a few feet away from him, now the one staring at the crying boy._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______It was only when the boy pulled back his hand from his face and he saw blood on the kid’s head that he snapped out of the haze. The kid only seemed to start crying louder at seeing the blood, shaking from the scare and holding his hand near the cut._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______“Uh, JAR? Call Deborah” He called out nervously and walked over to the boy, crouching down in front of him “Hey… Hey kiddo, calm down… It’s okay…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______He didn’t know what to do and his hands kept hovering around the boy, unsure whether to touch the kid or not. What if he only hurt him more?_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______It was luckily at that moment that the call connected._ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______“Mr. Stark?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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_______“Yeah, hi Deborah… I didn’t wake you up did I?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

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“Uh no of course not… Wait, is that Peter? Is everything alright?” 

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“Uhm, well… You see that’s the problem. The kid tripped and fell and cut his head open and now I’m not sure what to do. I don’t think it needs stitches or anything but he is crying loudly and I don’t know what that means-” He rambled 

__

“Uh okay... First of all Mr. Stark, you need to calm down. Kids trip and fall all the time, it happens. You said he didn’t need stitches right? So the only thing you need to do now is clean the cut, put a bandaid over it and help calm him down. Let him drink something for example or just give him a hug. Kids honestly believe bandaids do miracles and often bounce back very quickly so just tell him it’s okay and you should be fine” 

__

_“Okay, I can do that… But what if he has a concussion or something? What if it’s worse? ”_

__

“He’s crying right? Kids cry very fast Mr.Stark so he’s probably mostly crying because of the shock. Kids are honestly kind of indestructible. Just give him an ice pack if it starts to bruise or swell and keep an extra eye out for him, but I don’t believe it’s that bad.”

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“Okay.. Okay…” Tony sighed, looking over to the boy who had started to hiccup “He’s calming down and the cut is really small so… Okay thank you Deborah” 

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“It’s no problem, sir” 

__

She ended up giving him some more advice before hanging up. Meanwhile he had taken the boy to the bathroom and had placed him on the sink. He was rummaging through the medicine cabinet on the search of something to disinfect the cut, nearly patting himself on the shoulder when he found it. 

__

After the extensive instructions of JARVIS, Tony started to clean the wound, his heart breaking at the small cries it elicited from the boy. “I know… I’m sorry” 

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“Do you want a bandaid on your head?” The kid nodded sadly, his bottom lip sticking out. “See? All done!” He tried to comfort the kid, turning him around to look himself in the mirror. 

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The kid rubbed a finger over the bump before turning around to face Tony and raising his arms. 

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“Do you want a hug?” 

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A nod. 

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He smiled sadly and hugged the boy to his chest in hopes of quelling his own feeling of quilt. 

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“You want to go fix that car now?” 

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The kid nodded again with a big grin on his face, cut on his head already completely forgotten 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw poor Peter!
> 
> Well what did you guys think? Extra long chapter let's gooo!
> 
> In case you didn't know, I also have a Tumblr! (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/penny4yourthoughtsxtmblr) I mostly just post unrelated art and photography (even though my A03 is linked ) so feel free to check that out or shoot me a message anytime! I would love to chat with you guys! I'm also thinking of uploading some of my works on there so let me know if I should do that.
> 
> That's all for today! Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Know that you are loved <3
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


	5. 'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter fix the little car together and enjoy spending some time together, but that all comes crashing down when Pepper calls with some important new about the Parkers....
> 
> Previously:  
>  _“Do you want a hug?”_
> 
> _A nod._
> 
> _He smiled sadly and hugged the boy to his chest in hopes of quelling his own feeling of quilt._
> 
> _“You want to go fix that car now?”_
> 
> _The kid nodded again with a big grin on his face, cut on his head already completely forgotten ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think this story is placed before Iron man 2 as Tony is already Iron man but the Avengers aren’t established yet. I’m not really following canon ( but let’s be honest who is actually?) but I am gonna try to kind of follow the timeline. Hope you enjoy!

He helped the kid off the bathroom counter and led him back into the lab, this time being a bit more mindful of all the tools laying around and helping the little guy step over some of the stuff.

He made a mental note to clean up a little when he had the time…

Peter stood on his tiptoes to watch the parts laying on the beaten down table in front of him.  
He pointed a tiny finger towards the car parts “We fix my car now?” He asked curiously, this time looking at the man with hope and amazement instead of shock.

Tony sat down on the stool, dragging it closer to the desk and turning on some extra lights “Uh yeah… Of course we are bud! Why’d you take it apart though?” He asked, staring down at the boy standing next to him.

“Wanted it to go faster” 

Tony chuckled at the kid’s blunt response and childlike curiosity. Hell, the kid was still very much _a kid _but seemed to be very bright as well, so of course he’d take apart the small car. “Do you know how it works?” Tony asked hesitantly.__

__“Is a small spring” Peter replied as he pointed towards the parts laying out on the table._ _

___Huh. _“You got that right kiddo”__ _ _

____He pressed his lips together. So… Now what?_ _ _ _

____"Can you make it go faster?" Peter perked up, rocking back and forth on his feet a little._ _ _ _

____"Yeah, of course! So uh… You see this long strip? The spring-thingy right in here? That’s what’s called a torsion spring"_ _ _ _

____The kid hummed._ _ _ _

____"Well, when you pull the car back, the gears attached to it, twist it, so it winds up-" He explained ”Which makes the circle tighter and causes tension”_ _ _ _

____Peter once again stood on his tiptoes to try and see what the man meant, but was still slightly too short to properly see. The boy grunted a little as he tried to pull himself up a little more, one hand turning white as he gripped the table tightly and his other hand trying to reach the toy laying on the table._ _ _ _

____'Oh whatever' Tony thought and picked the boy up, placing him on his lap. Peter didn’t seem bothered at all, he just moved his focus back on the car parts laying on the desk in front of him. He grabbed a few parts and looked at it curiously, moving it around in his hands._ _ _ _

____“That one is part of the small gears that drives the car. It’s what helps the wheels move. The biggest one here, makes the little ones move, which then makes the car move forward. That’s also called a chain reaction”_ _ _ _

____Peter turned the gear around in his hands again before putting it back on the table and grabbing the little motor which also held the spring. The kid had somehow managed to pull apart the motor, leaving both sides dangling on the wheels. He fiddled with it around and turned around slightly on the man’s lap, leading him to lean into the man._ _ _ _

____Tony automatically lowered his voice a bit, calmly explaining everything to the boy._ _ _ _

____“That thing is the chassis and that’s the motor. The big gear-” Tony said softly, grabbing the biggest gear “attaches to the spring with these extensions right here, you see? This gear then works together with the other gears... “ He explained. The boy hanging on his every word._ _ _ _

____He ended up explaining everything to the boy and helped him as they slowly put the car back together. He also oiled the gears a bit and showed the kid how to make the car a bit faster by properly pressing down and releasing at the right time._ _ _ _

____The boy was fascinated by all the new information, somehow also managing to follow the man._ _ _ _

____“How did you take it apart though kid?” Tony asked him._ _ _ _

____“I used the scwewdriver from arts and cwafts day. I take it apart, but then had to put it back together so Ms. Patel doesn’t see. But shh no telling! Ms. Patel don't like it when I take apart all the toys” The kid hushed, bringin a finger to his lips._ _ _ _

____Tony laughed at the kid’s explanation. “I won’t tell Ms. Patel. Does Ms. Patel also work at the daycare?”_ _ _ _

____“Mhm. Ms. Patel always waits with me. Even when it get dark and mommy and daddy are late again…”_ _ _ _

____“Do you mean Deborah?”_ _ _ _

____“Mhm, but her name is always so hard so I call her Ms. Patel and sometimes I call her Debby. Mommy always says to use the big people names when I’m staying with Ms. Patel or when guests come to play at my house, but Ms. Patel says I can call her Debby. But I only call her Debby when everyone is gone”_ _ _ _

____Tony stared at the kid a bit dumbfounded. It was frankly the most the kid had said to him while also revealing a bit more about the kid’s situation._ _ _ _

____“Are… Are your mommy and daddy often late?”_ _ _ _

____“... Sometimes. Mommy said she and daddy are very busy people, so I sometimes have to wait a bit. Just like when the big name people come visit.”_ _ _ _

____“And the ‘big name people’, do you know what they do at your house?”_ _ _ _

____“Uhm… No… I think that they are mommy and daddy’s fwiends, but they always talk in big words and whisper a lot when they come to play. Bit silly right Mr. Tony?” Peter giggled, not understanding the weight his words carried._ _ _ _

____“Yeah… That’s silly. But kid, you don’t have to call me Mr. Tony. just Tony is alright” He kindly explained._ _ _ _

____“But you are a big name people too, right?”_ _ _ _

____“I… I don’t know? What makes someone a big name person?”_ _ _ _

____“Impowtant people. Daddy also called you a lot of big people words, but I’m not allowed to say those”_ _ _ _

____Okay...? “Do you know why your daddy said that, Pete?”_ _ _ _

____“Uhm… Well mommy said because you didn’t want to help them, but you do help me! You fixed my car!” He said excitedly._ _ _ _

____“That’s… That’s right.”_ _ _ _

____He took a moment to let the new information sink in while Peter carried on playing with the car. He had to catch the car when it drove off the desk, smiling at the big grin he received from the boy. What the kid said though, had only made the whole situation they were facing a lot more complicated than it already seemed to be... He had no idea what the kid might possibly mean with big important people and why apparently he was one of those too._ _ _ _

____The sound of his phone ringing startled him and he quickly grabbed the phone from his pocket, eyebrows rising at seeing Pepper’s name._ _ _ _

____“Can you play on the ground by yourself for a bit, Pete? I have to take this call”_ _ _ _

____The boy nodded and Tony set him down on the ground, the kid sitting down without a fight and silently playing with the car._ _ _ _

____“Good morning, Ms. Potts. What is your reason for calling me this early? Did you miss me that much?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh you wish. And, no. I actually called because of the boy, Peter was it?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh but I do miss you, Ms. Potts”_ _ _ _

____“Are you done or should I call you back later?”_ _ _ _

____“No, no… I’m done. What’d you find?”_ _ _ _

____“Well, so I called Coulson-”_ _ _ _

____“Coulson?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Agent Coulson. This whole thing, to me seemed like it was more complicated than just a kid being forgotten by his parents and therefore would take a bit more than just calling CPS”_ _ _ _

____Tony went quiet at that, looking over at the kid still obediently playing all by himself and being so oblivious to what was happening around him. He was suddenly overcome with sadness and felt horrible... This kid. This quiet, innocent kid's life was being flipped upside down and he didn't even know it. Probably wouldn't understand it either._ _ _ _

____“Tony? You still there?” Pepper spoke up._ _ _ _

____“Uh yeah, sorry. What did you guys find?”_ _ _ _

____“Well… Apparently the Parkers were wanted by both SHIELD because of their research. Not long after being fired at Stark Industries the Parkers went over to Oscorp and continued their research there. But as it turns out someone recently leaked information to the government and now they’re wanted… I’ll explain everything in detail later, but… Tony there is something you should know…”_ _ _ _

____His heart sunk to his stomach and his heart started beating loudly “What is it Pep?” He asked worriedly_ _ _ _

____“The Parkers... They tried to flee the country and managed to get on a plane to Europe...”_ _ _ _

____“Pepper… There’s something you’re not telling me…”_ _ _ _

____“Tony-” Pepper sighed. “They’ve lost contact with the plane”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome...... *evil laughter* 
> 
> So what happened to the Parkers? Why is SHIELD looking for them? Oh no!
> 
> Let me know what you think is gonna happen or if you want to leave a promt/idea on what should happen next...  
> I hope my chapters are not too short, but I'm just kind of writing as I go.
> 
> I hope you enjojed! Have a lovely day and take care of yourself and those around you <3
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> OPenny4yourThoughts


	6. Settle down it will all be clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony deals with the news and has to face a difficult decision. What will he do?
> 
> Previously:
> 
> _“The Parkers... They tried to flee the country and managed to get on a plane to Europe...”_
> 
> _“Pepper… There’s something you’re not telling me…”_
> 
> _“Tony-” Pepper sighed. “They’ve lost contact with the plane” ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go!
> 
> I also have a Tumblr! I mainly post unrelated photograpy and art, but I'm thinking about using it for my fics as well (updates etc.) ... What do you guys think?
> 
> <3

The silence that suddenly filled the air was deafening. Tony felt like his heart stopped and everything around him stilled… 

“They what?”

“About an hour , I'm not sure maybe two hours ago the Parkers were located at an airport in Michigan… I uh-... It was a passenger plane that was headed towards some place in Europe but it disappeared from the radar about an hour and a half into the flight” Pepper stammered

“So was it like a hijack?” Tony asked, immediately trying to pull up any information he could find about suspicious activity.

“I’m not sure Tony… But either way it’s not looking good. I’m on my way to the tower right now and I believe so is Coulson… Have you called CPS yet?”

“Shi-oot… Uh no I haven’t.Yet. It must have slipped my mind.” Tony sighed. He quickly glanced towards Peter who was still playing with the car, pulling it back and this time having to run after it when it drove off to somewhere “What do I tell the kid? He doesn’t even know what’s happening” He said softly.

“I don’t know Tony… You should probably inform CPS and the woman from the daycare, see what they think”

“Okay, uh I will. Why is Coulson coming as well though?”

“I believe he wants to question Peter”

“What?! That is ridiculous!” Tony shouted, the loud noise bouncing off the walls. 

He halted at a sudden thud coming from somewhere in the lab, quickly followed by a distinct sound of crying.

Tony sighed “I gotta go Pep… Talk to you later” He quickly hung up the phone and rounded the table where Peter was stood stooped on the floor under his workbench, clutching the top of his head while crying loudly. 

“Gosh kid, you really have the worst luck don’t you?” He smiled sadly as he walked over to the kid and knelt down in front of the boy. “What happened bud?”

“I- I… I was chasin’ my car! Bu’ then- And then y-you yelled and I h-hits my head!“ He sobbed miserably.

Tony’s uneasy smile immediately dropped and his eyes widened, feeling absolutely terrible about causing the kid pain... Again. The kid hadn’t even been with him for a full day and had already gotten hurt twice while being under his watch. 

He truly wasn’t cut out for this… Whatever confidence he had before, suddenly felt like it had disappeared from his body completely “I’m sorry kiddo… I didn’t mean to startle you. Let’s head back to the living room alright?”

The boy nodded sadly and stumbled his way over to the man. Tony was already turning to walk back towards the elevator when he, yet again, felt a tiny hand grasp his. 

The boy was sucking on the fingertips of the hand still holding the ragdoll bunny while sniffling softly. 

Tony stiffened a bit, staring down at their linked hands. The boy sniffled again, a bit louder this time and raised his eyes towards Tony’s.

“We go now?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah. Come on let’s go”

The boy nodded once and the two of them walked towards the elevator. Once they were in the elevator, Tony yet again tried to fill the awkward silence with his ramblings. Perhaps also in an attempt to distract his own mind from the news.

“So, Peter. A friend of mine, two actually, well… I don’t know if I would actually consider one of them as a friend… Anyways! There are two people coming by later today. Nothing big. I think” _‘I hope’ ___

__The kid hummed, likely not even paying attention to what he was saying._ _

__“Uhm okay Peter-” Tony started as they walked out of the elevator moments later “ Why don’t you sit on the couch and watch some cartoons or something? I uh… I need to make some calls” Tony said sombre._ _

__The kid nodded and walked over to the couch, clumsily climbing on while JARVIS automatically turned on something child friendly._ _

__Trying not to disturb the boy, Tony walked over to the kitchen and leaned heavily against the kitchen counter as he typed in his search for a phone number of CPS._ _

__He didn’t even bother asking JARVIS because he really didn’t want the kid to know what was happening in fear of destroying his young, innocent mind._ _

__He quickly found multiple sources for Child Protective Services, along with a local phone number. He stared down at it, his thumb hovering over the button._ _

__It was already quite clear that he wasn't in any way prepared or capable to be taking care of a child._ _

_  
_He was a wreck… Probably a danger too… No need to get the kid involved as well._  
_

__

__He hesitated as he stared at the numbers on the screen, something inside him holding him back still…_ _

__Shaking his head he quickly closed the tab. He looked up as he heard the sounds of a laugh track coming from the TV, the kid solely immersed in the show._ _

__Tony sighed and quickly decided to diale Deborah’s number and waited as the phone rang…_ _

__And rang._ _

__And rang. Listening to the long monotone beeps over the phone. Tapping his foot on the expansive marble floor._ _

_“Hi! This is the voicemail of Deborah Patel. I can’t come to the phone right now but feel free to leave a message and I’ll call you back as soon as possible!’_

____

____The beep signalling the end of the message suddenly rang out and he listened to the silence that followed._ _ _ _

__

____He hesitated for a moment longer but eventually decided to leave a message anyway. “Hey Deborah. Tony here. Stark. Uhm… There’s been a bit of a situation.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh before continuing reluctantly. “ I got a call from Pepper, you know who she is, and well... It looks like this whole thing is just getting more and more complicated. The Parkers are… Well apparently they are on the run. They are on the run and have left Peter here” He sighed._ _ _ _

__

____Some loud noises caught his attention and he looked over to where Peter was still watching cartoons, completely captivated by what was happening on the screen._ _ _ _

__

____“So anyway. To get to the point, the both of them have taken a plane to Europe. There are people after them and just… It’s probably better if you come over… The plane. It- They’ ve lost contact with the plane… I don’t really know what to do here. So call me back. If you can”  
He stared down at the screen of the phone as he ended the call, considering also sending a message to hopefully clarify a little, but he really had no idea _how _he _could _properly explain what was going on.________

______ _ _

________He opened the tab with the phone number of CPS again as he tried to convince himself and work up the courage to call it, but the grumble of his stomach interrupted him. He looked over at the clock and noticed it was pretty much time for lunch anyway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

________The phone call could probably wait a little longer…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

________“Hey Peter?” Tony called out from the kitchen as he slowly made his way over to the living room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

________The boy didn’t even react, still completely focussed on the show. His eyes wide and mouth slightly open._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

________Tony chuckled seeing the kid be so carefree and tried to get his attention again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

________“Hey kiddo, your eyes will turn into squares like that, you know”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _

_That _got the kid’s attention “Huh?” The boy replied and looked at him with shocked eyes.__

________ _ _ _ _

__________“You hungry?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Peter nodded and a smile crept up on the boy’s face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“What do you wanna eat kid?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Chicken nuggets!” Peter exclaimed, pretty much vibrating in his seat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Chicken nuggets it is then” Tony smiled and got out his phone to call Happy. His smile dropped for a moment when his phone automatically opened on his recent search, but he quickly tapped it away and instead called Happy to buy him a kid’s happy meal and a cheeseburger with fries._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“ Why do you need a kid’s happy meal?” Happy’s grumpy voice grumbled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Ah._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Uh. Well… That would probably be easier to explain once you get here”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________He heard Happy sigh before announcing that he’d be there in about thirty minutes. It probably wasn’t the weirdest thing Happy had to do. Scratch that, it definitely wasn’t the weirdest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Chicken nuggets will be here in thirty minutes, kid” Tony told the boy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Peter smiled while still looking at the TV, but did mutter a happy ‘chicken nuggets’ under his breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Tony plopped down on the couch next to the kid and tried to understand what was so funny about the show._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“So what’s happening?” He asked Peter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t know” The boy mumbled, never taking his eyes off the cartoon._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Tony laughed silently and went back to mindlessly staring at the screen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey Mr.Tony?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Hm?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Do you… Do you know when Mommy and Daddy will be back?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Tony turned his head and looked over at the boy. Peter however, was avoiding his gaze, looking at the screen while biting his lip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t know Peter” He sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“They’re gone aren’t they?” The boy asked quietly. The kid looked down at his hands, wringing his hands together nervously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“ What makes you say that?” Tony asked shocked, sitting forward suddenly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“They’ve told me before. Mommy says that she and Daddy are doing something vewy important and that maybe they would go away. Did Mommy and Daddy go away?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________Tony stammered for a bit, not sure how to respond to what the kid just told him. “I- I don’t know kid. I really don’t, but… I promise you,I will help you, no matter what okay?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

__________“Why?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

___________Why… _He actually didn’t even know himself. It was a loaded question, especially for such a small kid and he found that he really had no answer to that.____________

________ _ _ _ _

_______________“I uh- I don’t know kiddo. But people don’t always have to have a reason to want to help someone…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

____________Peter seemed confused for a moment but didn’t comment any further._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how's that? I am feeling a bit anxious and insecure about my writing tonight(for me it's in the evening), which is totally okay! But I would really love to know what you guys think of my writing style in general and if there are any things I can improve.
> 
> Don't worry about me though, I get sad and anxious sometimes but I try to not be too hard on myself and accept the feelings for what they are and just take care of myself :)
> 
> So hey, in case you're feeling a bit sad it's gonna be okay! It is what it is. And what is, is shit (-BBC Sherlock Holmes, hehe)
> 
> I love you all so much, the support has honestly been so amaazing so thank you so much! Sending you all the virtual hugs!
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


	7. Don't pay no mind to the demons, they fill you with fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony deals with the aftermath of their little hear to heart. But when Pepper and Coulson come over to question the boy things quickly start going bad...
> 
> Previously:
> 
> _“Why?”_
> 
> _Why… He actually didn’t even know himself. It was a loaded question, especially for such a small kid and he found that he really had no answer to that._
> 
> _“I uh- I don’t know kiddo. But people don’t always have to have a reason to want to help someone…”_
> 
> _Peter seemed confused for a moment but didn’t comment any further. ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hello! How are ya!
> 
> I wanted to upload earlier but I have been having quite some trouble with my WIFI and just laptop in general. That's why I also haven't been able to properly proof read this one so feel free to point out any mistakes! It's quite late for me and I should really head to bed now. Whoops

After their little ‘heart to heart’ the room remained silent apart from the sound of the televioson as Peter kept watching TV with a sad frown lingering on his face. 

Tony shifted uncomfortably on the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. He wasn’t entirely sure if he should try and talk to the kid again or wait for Happy to arrive… 

Turns out that he didn’t have to make that choice himself as JARVIS suddenly announced the man was on his way up towards the penthouse.

“Happy is on his way to the penthouse, sir” the robotic voice spoke up from the ceiling

“Happy?” Peter voiced, sounding incredibly confused. 

Tony smiled awkwardly “Uh yeah he’s my… Bodyguard? I don’t even really know, but he works for me and I just call him Happy. Although that man never actually _is _happy… “ Tony rambled, running a nervous hand through his hand. _The boy just looked at him with a bewildered look on his face. _The elevator dinged and the doors opened revealing an already annoyed looking Happy, holding a bag of McDonalds._ ___

__“Happy!” Tony called out, clapping his hands as he jumped off the couch and made his way over towards the man._ _

____

__Happy raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the sudden enthusiasm and stepped out of the elevator. Before Tony even had the chance to say anything the stoic man suddenly became aware of the _other _occupant of the room.___ _

____Peter who was still sitting on the couch was gaping at the new guest with wide eyes, Happy staring right back at the kid with a blank look on his face as he took in the sight before him._ _ _ _

____“Uh… So Happy!-” Tony started “Happy meet Peter, Peter meet Happy” Tony said quickly gesturing between the two of them._ _ _ _

___The bodyguard ust closed his eyes for a moment “I’m not even gonna ask…” Happy grumbled and walked over to the kitchen, dropping the bag on the counter, a few of the items falling out._ _ _

___Tony quickly followed the man to the kitchen, stepping in front of him just as he was about to leave.  
_  
_ _

__

__

__

___“Look Happy, I’ll explain everything later, okay?-” Tony started but Happy just moved around him and continued on towards the exit. “You know what Tony? This isn’t even the weirdest thing I walked in on… I always expected your past to one day catch up on you so no need to explain-”___

__

______“No, no… Listen Happy it is nothing like that alright? I’m just dealing with a situation here Happy”_ _ _ _ _ _

__

__

__

___“Whatever you say Boss” Happy shrugged and pressed the button next to the elevator door, not paying the other man any mind as he waited for the elevator to arrive and immediately getting in a moment later._ _ _

__

__

__

___Tony stood there gaping like a fish for before straightening up and turning his attention back to a still hesitant looking Peter._ _ _

__

__

__

___“You hungry?”_ _ _

__

__

__

* * *

__

__

__

___They both ate their lunch in relative silence, while Tony continued checking his phone, hoping in vain for any type of message or news on the kid’s parents._ _ _

__

__

__

___Pepper had already texted him earlier, letting him know she was less than an hour away._ _ _

__

__

__

Peter was luckily happily munching on his chicken nuggets, looking a bit more relaxed and cheerful now that he was satisfied with chicken nuggets... 

__

__

__

___Tony had taken out the food for Peter and set the table, not trusting the kid to take out all the food without making an absolute mess of the place so now the kid was silently eating his lunch, switching between all the food while practically bouncing up and down. To try and keep his hands busy Tony grabbed the happy meal box that stood in the middle of the table and looked at the text and pictures on the side of the colourful box when he noticed a small package still left in the box.___

__

______“Hey would you look at that kid!” Tony said, grabbing the small plastic bag from the box. “Looks like you got a toy in there kid”_ _ _ _ _ _

__

__

__

___The kid gasped softly and straightened up in his seat “I did?” His squeeky voice piped up._ _ _

____

__

____

___“Sure did!” Tony smiled and huffed as he opened the small package, revealing none other than the one and only Iron man suit…_ _ _

____

__

____

___He remembered Pepper saying something about merchandise some time ago but he didn’t really care at the time. Still didn't. Except for the fact that it wasn't really realistic..._ _ _

____

__

____

___He smirked as he held onto the cheap looking toy._ _ _

____

__

____

___Peter gasped again and dropped his fries ontothe plate, raising himself up on the table, pretty much standing on the chair as he reached out_ _ _

____

__

____

___“Hey hey, look out kiddo” Tony smiled “You’re gonna fall if you do that. Here” He handed the kid the toy and Peter abruptly sat down again, not paying the man any mind as he stared in awe at the toy._ _ _

____

__

____

___“It’s not completely accurate but-”_ _ _

____

__

____

___“I love it!” The boy said excitedly._ _ _

____

__

____

___Tony gaped at the boy, this time being the one stunned to silence. The kid literally bounced in his seat as he played with his new toy, flying the thing through the air with a new sparkle in his dark brown eyes._ _ _

____

__

____

___Tony couldn’t help but smile as well, his chest warming with an unknown feeling._ _ _

____

__

____

* * *

____

__

____

___Not long after they had finished their lunch JARVIS spoke up again to announce the arrival of Pepper and Agent Coulson._ _ _

____

__

____

___Peter didn’t really seem to care at this point as he sat on the ground playing, flying the thing around and making sound effects._ _ _

____

__

____

___Tony didn’t want to admit, but he had actually been silently watching the kid with a heavy feeling in his chest as the boy happily played out his own stories. The kid was still so innocent, getting happiness from the simplest of things, not yet hurt and put down by the world around him._ _ _

____

__

____

___He hated that he had to be the one to break that._ _ _

____

__

____

___“So uh Peter… You remember the friends I told you about right? Well they’re gonna be here in a few minutes and they might want to ask you a few questions, is that okay with you?”_ _ _

____

__

____

___Peter nodded, not bothering to look up at Tony._ _ _

____

__

____

Tony sighed and got up from the chair, walking over to the large window that overlooked the city skyline.

____

The elevator dinged and he turned around to face the elevator doors, slowly making his way over to meet the guests. 

__Pepper and Coulson both made their way out of the elevator, the room immediately filing with a tense atmosphere. Pepper nodded at Tony before averting her gaze to the frightened looking kid sitting in front of the couch._ _

____

Coulson tried to smile comfortingly at Peter when he noticed him, but the boy didn’t seem any bit reassured.

____

“Hi kid, you must be Peter. I am Agent Coulson, it is very nice to meet you” Couslon said as he stood in front of the boy his taller figure looming over him. Peter stared up at the man and looked over at Tony who had a slight frown on his face, it doing nothing to help the kid's nerves

____

Peter then next looked at Pepper still awkwardly standing behind the couch, observing the room. She smiled as well, although her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and frayed around the edges. Peter seemed to notice as well as he shifted on the ground, looking unsure of himself.

____

Tony decided that it was probably time to speak up and break the tension or else this day was just only gonna get worse.

____

“So Peter. Uh these are my… Friends. The ones I told you about? The lady over there is Ms. Potts and the man in the fancy suit is Agent Coulson…-” Tony introduced. The room remained silent as everyone stared at one another for any cue on what to do “So are you two planning on sitting down or are you just gonna keep standing there?” Tony tried to joke.

____

“Of course” “Yes of course” Pepper and Coulson said in unison.

____

Tony walked back over to the couch as well, averting his eyes when he noticed Peter watching him expectantly.

____

“So Peter-” Couslon started “Like Mr. Stark probably told you, I wanted to ask you a few questions okay? Nothing too difficult.”

____

Peter didn’t say anything as he stared at the agent, wringing his hands together while still holding onto the bunny and his newly attained Iron Man toy. 

____

“Okay Peter, I wanted to ask you some things about your parents if that’s okay?” He waited for an answer or confirmation from the boy but when he received none he continued on anyway.

____

“Peter, do you maybe know what kind of work your parents did? Like did they ever talk to you about it or did you maybe overhear something?”

____

The kid only frowned, looking uncertain of himself and seeminlgy shrinking in on himself as he appeared to be breathing a little faster.

__Coulson waited “No? Well did your parents…Like… Ever have people over? Some more often than others?”_ _

____

Peter again didn’t reply and looked back at Tony trying to catch his gaze in hopes of getting any clue or hint on what to do but, the man was staring at the table, avoiding the boy's gaze 

____

Peter frowned and sucked on his lower lip “I don’t know” a small voice spoke up uncertainly and frightened.

____

Coulson clearly wasn’t satisfied with the answer “You don’t know? Okay… Uh so... Did your parents perhaps ever leave you alone for a long time? Did you know where they would go?”

____

“I don’t know?” Peter repeated again, sounding a little more desperate and unsure as he shrunk in on himself even more.

____

Tony and Pepper quickly made eye contact. A silent conversation happening between them. Peter again looked at Tony still avoiding his gaze, now becoming more and more upset at seeing the man actively ignore him.

____

Peter's brows furrowed and his lower lip started wobbling and quickly brought his attention to the soft bunny ragdoll in his hands, fingers stroking the fabric. 

____

Coulsan sat forward suddenly, causing the young boy to flinch back at the sudden movement “Well is there _anything _you can tell me about your mom and dad Peter? It doesn’t matter what… Did you maybe ever see papers laying around that you didn’t understand or…-”__

____

__Coulson’s slowly becoming desperate questioning suddenly got stopped mid sentence by Peter as the small kid cried out again, chest puffed and cheeks flushed “I-I don’t know! Where is mommy? Pwease? Where’s daddy? I want my mommy!”_ _

____

__Peter’s face scrunched up at getting no response as tears started falling rapidly whild he started crying sadly. Heartbreaking sobs filled the room where Peter was sat on the floor hugging his bunny to his chest now also starting to get frustrated. He angrily threw the Iron Man toy on the floor, abandoning the thing he was previously so obsessed with and happily playing with before, clumsily getting to his feet and Coulson moved closer quickly “Calm down Peter. I didn’t mean to upset you, but is there anything you know-”_ _

____

__“Phil…” Pepper warned the man._ _

____

__“No! I don’ wanna talk to you no more! Pwease! I-I want my mommy! Mommy!” Peter cried his voice breaking while calling out for his mother again and again._ _

____

__Tony decided that he couldn’t take it anymore._ _

____

__“Okay that’s enough” He snapped standing up and stepping over to Peter, picking him up under his arms, holding onto him tightly as the boy struggled against him for a moment._ _

____

__“No! Pwease! I want mommy…” He cried_ _

____

__“I know… I know” Tony tried to comfort the sobbing boy. “No more questions okay? You’re done. No more questions”_ _

____

__“No more!”_ _

____

__“Exactly. No more…. You’re okay” Tony said softly, rubbing the kid’s back as he tried to silence his heart wrenching cries_ _

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah.
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> :)  
> Im not too happy about this chapter but I'll see what I can do tomorrow to fix it!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love and support! Every hit, kudo and comment are so sweet and appreciated! Honestly thank you so much!
> 
> I wish you all a lovely weekend!
> 
> Lots of love,  
> Penny4yourThoughts


	8. The trouble it might drag you down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony deals with the aftermath of Coulson's interrogation and has to suddenly make a big decision... 
> 
> Previously: 
> 
> “Okay that’s enough” He snapped standing up and stepping over to Peter, picking him up under his arms, holding onto him tightly as the boy struggled against him for a moment.
> 
> “No! Pwease! I want mommy…” He cried
> 
> “I know… I know” Tony tried to comfort the sobbing boy. “No more questions okay? You’re done. No more questions”
> 
> “No more!”
> 
> “Exactly. No more…. You’re okay” Tony said softly, rubbing the kid’s back as he tried to silence his heart wrenching cries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Bonjour! Hallo! Hola! Wassup!
> 
> Okay I'll stop now :p
> 
> So new chapter! I slightly edited the last scene from the last chapter so feel free to check that out but nothing major happened so you should be able to just continue reading! Okay thank you!
> 
> Love you!

Tony’s heart felt heavy, listening to the heartbreaking cries and whimpers coming from the boy in his arms.

He slowly started rocking side to side, not even realizing the movement as he tried to calm the boy down.

Peter had his soft cheek squished into the man’s shoulder with one hand holding tightly onto the collar of Tony’s shirt and the other hanging limply at his side, bunny still ever present in his hold. 

Coulson sighed, making Tony suddenly aware of his presence again.

A wave of protectiveness suddenly came over him and he immediately focussed back in on the man that got them into this situation in the first place.

“I think it’s better for you to leave,” Tony said sharply eyes throwing daggers.

Coulson also didn’t seem to expect the sudden change of character. He blinked dumbfounded at Tony, stumbling over his words as he tried to come up with a reaction. 

Pepper appeared shocked as well as she looked in between the two of them with her mouth hanging open. “Tony…” She started

Tony’s eyes snapped back over to Pepper but a whimper from the boy in his arms caught his attention and he straightened out his spine before looking back at the SHIELD agent with his chin raised. 

“No. We’re done here. You need to leave” Tony repeated and rested a hand over the kid’s curly head, pressing him firmly against him.

“Mr. Stark you need to understand-” the man tried explain 

“No _you _need to understand. This isn’t some secret agent you have to question or some underground organization you need to discover. This is a child. A young kid, who has _no _understanding of what is going on and is probably terrified, no actually one who is terrified” _Coulson tried to smile as he attempted to reason with the man “Listen Mr. Stark… It is very important to get an understanding of what exactly we’re dealing with here-”_ _ _ __

“No. The only thing that needs understanding is the fact that you need to leave. We’ll talk later but definitely not now.” _Not ever… _He wanted to add… ”JARVIS let him out”__

_____Coulson stood up and looked at Tony’s determined eyes, perhaps hoping for Tony to suddenly change his mind. “We’ll be in touch” Coulson nodded and walked towards the elevator, Tony watching him go._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Tony kept watching even as the elevator doors had already closed behind the man. A sniff brought his attention back into the present and he turned his head towards the kid still pressed against him._ _ _ _ _

Pepper was left sitting on the large couch, looking around the room with a rigid back.

After a moment of consideration Tony finally made eye contact with her and immediately started to defend himself “Look Pepper-” He sighed.

_____“No… It’s okay Tony” Pepper said softly._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Tony just kind of stared at the woman before him, unsure of what to say or what to do._ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Pepper… I don’t know what to do…” He finally sighed out._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Pepper didn’t say anything for a moment. She was stunned by the genuine sadness and hopelessness laid out in the man’s eyes._ _ _ _ _

__

_____One thing was clear to her though._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Tony Stark deeply cared for the small boy in his arms. There was no mission, no problem waiting for a solution or a pain from the past needing to be fixed with temporary things._ _ _ _ _

__

_____She looked at the man she had known for years, but right now it felt like she was seeing an entirely different person._ _ _ _ _

__

_____This Tony showed a type of protectiveness she hadn’t seen often before. “So uh… Have you called Deborah yet?” She tried_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Didn’t pick up” Tony replied remorsefully, hoisting Peter up a bit higher on his hip. The boy had luckily gone quiet, apart from the occasional sniff, his tiny legs dangling limply around the man’s middle._ _ _ _ _

__

_____ _ _ _

__

_____Pepper sighed as well. “And CPS?” She tried carefully._ _ _ _ _

__

_____“I uh- I haven’t really gotten to that yet.” He stammered_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Right”_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Look Pepper, I’m sorry that you had to come all the way over here just to-”_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“No it’s okay” Pepper interrupted “I’m not just here for the kid… I’m uh… I’m also here for you.”_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Oh. Uh yeah… Okay then” Tony stammered_ _ _ _ _

__

_____Trying to avoid her eyes in fear of being seen in a vulnerable state, Tony quickly focussed back on the boy in his arms, a smile slowly making its way onto his face as he looked at him. “Well would you look at that” He whispered more to himself._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Peter was entirely passed out. His emotions from a moment prior probably completely draining him from all his energy. The kid’s soft and chubby cheeks were squished into the man’s shoulder, his mouth slightly open as his arms hung limply._ _ _ _ _

__

_____He didn’t even really care about the drool that was undoubtedly staining his shirt; he just thoughtlessly continued to slowly rock side to side as he got lost in thought. He stared at the boy with a sad frown on his face as he tried to understand himself why he suddenly felt so protective of a kid he met not even 24 hours ago._ _ _ _ _

__

_____“You should probably bring him to bed” Pepper suddenly spoke up._ _ _ _ _

__

_____Tony turned around confused “It’s only like one in the afternoon”_ _ _ _ _

__

_____“Kids need naps Tony” Pepper lightly chuckled._ _ _ _ _

“Oh right” _Why didn’t I know that _Tony thought bitterly. “I’m just gonna, uh yeah” He stammered before quickly walking out of the room towards the guest bedroom.__

_______He walked over to the bed with long strides and lowered the kid back into bed. The covers were still pulled back from that morning so he quickly laid the boy down and tucked the blanket around his small form, making sure to move Bean closer._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______He stood next to the bed for a second and nodded to himself before walking out of the room, but not before quickly turning on the bedside lamp, and walked out._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

* * *

_____ _

_______A moment later he made his way back into the living room where Pepper was still waiting for him.  
“So... “ Tony started “What now? Is there any news on the kid’s parents?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______“Not that I know of no…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______Tony sat down on the couch next to her “But what now?” He mumbled and rested his head on his hand_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______“Well… I think it’s time to start thinking about what to do with the kid” She said carefully, ignoring the twitch in the man’s jaw. “I can probably get some of our lawyers on the case to make sure the kid ends up with a nice family as soon as possible or maybe a uh foster home… ” Pepper trailed off_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______Tony didn’t respond as Pepper looked at him, waiting for an answer from the man._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______“... Or is there anything you suggest we should do?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______Ton closed his eyes for a few seconds before speaking up “Just sending him off to go live with some random people feels wrong Pep. Deborah said it herself. It’s cruel to just drop the boy off on somebody’s doorstep and expect them to handle it”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_______“Then what do you think we should do? You aren’t equipped to be a parent Tony” Pepper said somewhat exasperated _That hurt. _“I know. Trust me Pep I know… But somehow I also know that… That this isn’t right.” "Then tell me what isn’t right Tony… Why don’t you come up with a better solution then”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

________Tony suddenly sat up, his eyes focussed on the turned off TV on the wall in front of him. He sucked in a deep breath before turning on the couch to face the woman._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________Pepper jumped back slightly from his sudden movement and from the intense look in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“Give me until the end of this weekend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“What?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________He turned to face her fully, eyes filled with determination “Give me until the end of this weekend and if I haven’t figured out what to do by then I promise I’ll call CPS. Promise. I just- I know this is what I have to do Pep. Or not to do. I just know I have to follow my gut here and-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“Okay”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“... That I should go with what feels right, not just for me but-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“Okay Tony”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“And just. Wait. Did, did I just hear you wrong or did you just agree with me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________Pepper laughed “Yes Tony, don’t make me regret it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“I- No I won’t. Thank uh, thank you Pepper”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________She could visibly see the man’s shoulders relaxing, as he sucked in another breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

_________“So what now?” Tony asked, with a hint of a smile on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh... So what happens now? Is Tony cut out to be a parent or will he give up before the weekend ends? Or will someone else all of a sudden make a decision? 
> 
> :)
> 
> Well what did you guys think? Wasn't sure of the chapter at first, but I think I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks again for all the lovely comments they really do make my day!
> 
> I wish you all the best and may you have a wonderful day <3
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony decides to start preparing for Peter staying over, while Peter teaches him something unexpected.

“So what now?” Tony asked, with a hint of a smile on his face.

“I guess you have to start ordering some stuff to prepare for a kid staying over” Pepper said blinking bewildered at him

“And how am I supposed to know what a kid needs Pep?”

“Well frankly I have been dealing with a kid for some years now so I’d say I have some experience in that area” Pepper said with a hint of a smug smile

Tony frowned “What? Who?” Tony said baffled, dropping his hands down on the arms of the chair.

Pepper just raised an eyebrow as she stared at the man as Tony stammered in response.

“I’ll have you know that I am in fact very mature-” He defended

“Sure ya are” Pepper said laughing, getting up from her seat “Who’s the current president then?”

“Oh you know… Some guy named… Chad”

“Nice try” Pepper laughed

“Oh they’re all just old men-” “Tony”

“What has the president to do with-” “Tony!”

At that he snapped his mouth shut and stared at Pepper towering over him. “I still have to do some work at SI so I’m gonna be busy for the next two hours… Will you be okay on your own for a while?” 

“I’ve been doing okay for-” He started to defend

“You know what I mean, Tony”

He sighed. Of course he knew what she was talking about. In all honesty he just really didn’t want to face reality at the moment.

He would go from determined to second guessing his every move. Perhaps it wasn’t even that he was determined but more him being arrogant, cocky…

If Pepper noticed his sudden change in attitude, she didn’t say anything. 

“I uh… I’ll have Happy pick up some stuff for the kid… God knows the press would have a field day if they saw me buying some children stuff… Provide him with a list or something.” He mumbled

“I admire what you’re doing Tony. I really do. Because I know that if you’re really sure about something, you will get it done. And you will get it done right”

_If only he was so sure about what he was doing. ___

__Tony didn’t say anything… Pepper looked down at her shoes before placing her hand on his shoulder. Tony carefully laid his calloused hand over her slender one, feeling her squeeze his shoulder not long before nodding to herself and leaving._ _

* * *

__He scrolled through the tabs on his Stark tablet, wondering to himself what on earth a kid could possibly need. He could ask JARVIS for help but that would be admitting to his ignorance…_ _

__He muttered something to himself about the redicliousness of his task before picking up the phone and calling his trustworthy and overjoyed friend._ _

__“What” The gruff voice answered_ _

__“Happy!”_ _

__“What do you need now?”_ _

__“Why would I need something from you? Can’t I just ask my dear old friend about his day?”_ _

__“You never ask me about my day. What do you want?”_ _

__“Fine. I need you to buy me some things, run some errands”_ _

__“Tony. I told you before if you want to get some por-”_ _

__“No! No, no. I won’t be needing anything of that kind of stuff. I just need clothes and toys-” he trailed off_ _

It stayed quiet for a moment on the other side of the phone “Okay… Well I’m sure there’s somewhere online where you can buy some of that particular clothing and _adult to- _”__

____

_____ _

____

____“NO! Jesus no. No. For the kid! The kid. The boy that you saw here. He’s uh… He’s staying over for the weekend, I’m watching him and I just need you to get him some clothes, food, toys, anything a four year old needs. Go big, I don’t care”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Okay… Well definitely not the weirdest thing you asked me. Do you have a list or do I have to make that up myself as well?”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No, I have a list. Why does no one trust me to do anything? Don’t answer that”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“When do you need it?”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“As fast as you can”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“I’ll be there in two hours”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

* * *

____

____

____

____An hour and a half or so later Tony was still sitting in the living room, reading up about how to take care of a kid when JARVIS more or less reminded him of the kid. The very reason he was doing research in the first place._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Sir? It appears that young Peter has woken up from his nap”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Okay… So? What am I supposed to do with that information?”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“It would be advisable to get young Peter out of bed and continue on with the daily activities as following a routine is important to a child’s upbringing”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Alright, alright…” Tony replied and quickly went over to the boy’s room. His knees creaking loudly at the movement, causing him to groan out._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____He knocked on the room’s door, were you even supposed to knock? And opened the door, peeking his head in just in time to see the bedsheets moving quickly and flying to cover the kid up completely_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____He frowned in confusion at the kid’s antics, just about to ask what he was doing but felt himself smile as the sound of giggling reached his ears._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____He practically tiptoed to where the kid was ‘hiding, the kid’s tiny fingers peeking over the edge of the blanket._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Peter…” Tony sang_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____More giggling._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Peter… I know you’re awake kiddo” He laughed_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No shh. I’m sleeping Mr. Tony”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Oh well then I guess I just have to leave then” Tony smirked, waiting for a moment to see what the kid would do._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____And as expected a moment later, two bambi eyes peeped out from under the blanket._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Boo!”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The kid’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled the sheets to cover himself while giggling loudly._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The older grabbed hold of the blanket as well and in one rapid movement pulled it off of the kid with a loud “Waaah!”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The kid was practically scream-laughing at this point, his legs kicking out excitedly. Tony also joined in on the laughter, feeling immensely carefree for the first time in what felt like forever._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Now get up you little monster” Tony laughed._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Peter sat up wobbly from all the laughter, his hair an absolute mess and the perfect example of a bedhead._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Peter turned himself around, his legs hanging off the bed and he let himself drop down on the ground, of course making sure to grab his bunny on the way down._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The kid walked over to the older man, staring up at him with a mischievous smile. Tony looked down at the kid, raising an eyebrow at the kid._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Peter walked forward and suddenly hugged him around the leg._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Tony was overtaken by shock at the gesture but before he could even do anything the kid took off out of the room laughing loudly._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Tony rolled his eyes before following the kid out of the room_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____He had to admit, after the day they’d had he was more than happy to see the kid smiling so bright._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____When he got to the living room he saw Peter standing behind the table, looking ready to sprint out when Tony would make a move._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Tony couldn’t help but smile._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The kid giggled “Catch me!”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No kiddo” Tony replied tiredly_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Yes! You have to tag me Mr.Tony!” Peter laughed_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No Peter. Not today maybe later, okay?” He really wasn’t feeling up to chasing after a kid. He was definitely too old for that. And what if someone saw?_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____The kid’s shoulders sagged a bit as he pouted. Pouted! Actually pouted._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Yes.”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No Peter.”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Daddy always played tag with me!”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Well I’m not your dad”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Silence._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Sh- Oh f- Sorry kiddo I didn’t mean it like that, I’m so sorry” Tony fumbled._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____Peter just bit his lip as he stared at him. “Is okay…” The kid dropped his hands from where they were perched on the table_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“No kiddo-”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Can I please watch TV, Mr.Tony?”_ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Yeah sure kid.” Tony said dejectedly looking down at the ground._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____JARVIS automatically turned on the television without having to be told, Peter walking back over to the couch and hoisting himself up._ _ _ _

____

____

____

____“Look, Peter-” Tony started, sitting down next to the kid without removing his gaze from the floor. _‘Just look at the kid'. _a voice in his head snapped.______

____

_______ _ _ _

____

He looked back up at the kid who was now avoiding his gaze. _‘He already hates you.’ _“Peter. Will you please look at me?” The kid did, carefully looking at Tony and searching his face. “I really am sorry, okay? Maybe later. I promise okay?”__

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Is okay. Daddy almost never played anymore”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Well if that didn’t make him feel even more awful._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Sir?” The voice of JARVIS suddenly piped up from the ceiling.”Mr. Hogan just texted that he is leaving the store and will be here in about twenty minutes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Oh I almost forgot!” Tony said shooting up from where he was sitting, Peter looking at him like he’d grown a second head. “Thanks JAR! So uh kid. Happy will be here soon, not to ask questions!”He quickly reassured, noticing the kid’s panic. “I asked him to get you some stuff, clothes, toys, stuff like that”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Peter immediately perked up at that “Why?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Well… Uh. No reason. But how do you feel about staying with me for the weekend? You can keep the stuff afterwards of course” He said hesitantly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Peter nodded quickly, his eyes bright. It wasn’t entirely clear to him why the kid would still want to stay with im but that was something he was gonna think about late at night when he really should be sleeping, perhaps with a glass of alcohol._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

* * *

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________From the moment he had told the kid about getting new stuff, the kid had been a bundle of nerves. Constantly shifting around on the couch and bouncing up and down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________When the elevator dinged, he swore he heard the kid gasp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Tony walked over to the elevator doors to meet up with the man, the doors opening soon after. The excited “Wow!” from the kid was very adequate to the amount of boxes there were in the elevator._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Oh wow, you really did not hold back, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I just got everything the man at the store told me to get”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Well… I guess they are just very glad with your donation”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________The two of them moved the boxes from the elevator while Peter watched on from the couch_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Can you unpack these boxes yourself?” Happy grumbled_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Yes of course. Thanks Hap.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I’ll be back again later with some groceries for the kid as well, but it didn’t fit in the car”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I can see that. Thank you Happy. Really.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Yeah, yeah. Just remember this when I ask for a day off”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I’ll even give you a raise!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Bye Tony!” Happy grumbled, his voice being cut off as the doors closed behind him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Tony chuckled “So kid. You wanna help me unpack?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Yes!” Peter yelled excitedly, jumping off the couch and running over to him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Tony was reading everything on the boxes, looking at the things Happy got them. A car seat, locks for on the cabinets, plates and much more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Peter of course had already ripped open one of the shopping bags, admiring all the toys with childlike wonder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Wow, I never had those as a child” Tony said looking at the abundance of toys._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Peter looked at him with a thoughtful look. Way too thoughtful for a four-year-old. The kid looked back at the toys, apparently already having picked out a few favorites._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Peter smiled and picked out one of his new toys. “Here ya go Mr. Tony! You can have it!”  
The boy said as he handed him a toy. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________Tony was shocked to silence, while Peter had already moved on to a second bag of items._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Thank you” He said, his voice almost nearing a whisper._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“You’re welcome!” Peter said happily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya go! It's kinda late where I live so I'm gonna head to bed now ( I always write at night, yeet)
> 
> So I'm off to bed now and will likely edit tomorrow! Feel free to point out any mistakes or inaccuracies ( but keep it nice!)  
> I've been having a little bit of a writer's block, but in order to fight that I'm gonna try and write more often. Tickle my creative side hahah
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed! Don't worry I still have many ideas for new fics and oneshots and if you have any ideas for something you'd like for me to write or to see in this WIP, feel free to leave me a message!
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all your kindness, it is very much appreciated!
> 
> Now off to bed! I have to work tomorrow. Yay.
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony spend some bonding time together... But an important phone call suddenly has to make an end to it
> 
> Previously:  
> Peter smiled and picked out one of his new toys. “Here ya go Mr. Tony! You can have it!”  
> The boy said as he handed him a toy. 
> 
> Tony was shocked to silence, while Peter had already moved on to a second bag of items.
> 
> “Thank you” He said, his voice almost nearing a whisper.
> 
> “You’re welcome!” Peter said happily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I finally got around to writing! Oh and read the end notes if you want to hear-? Read-? Me angrily rambling. 
> 
> Thank you. 
> 
> Enjoy. 
> 
> P.S. Hi! You still here? Yay! I kinda want to do a Q&A of some sort, so if you have any questions leave them down below in the comments or message me on Tumblr and I will answer them as soon as I can <3

Peter smiled and picked out one of his new toys. “Here ya go Mr. Tony! You can have it!”  
The boy said as he handed him a toy. 

Tony was shocked to silence, while Peter had already moved on to a second bag of items.

“Thank you” He said, his voice almost nearing a whisper.

“You’re welcome!” Peter said happily

Tony was still staring at the toy in hand as Peter dug through the last bag, this one being filled with essentials and therefore less interesting to the boy, but he went through the bag anyway.

“Oh wow! Iwon man!” The boy suddenly squealed out excitedly as he ripped a t-shirt with an Iron Man cartoon on the front, from the previously neatly folded pile of clothes inside the bag.

“Wow, pretty cool huh?” Tony smiled. “Why don’t we actually get you dressed and you can wear it?” Tony suggested to the boy. He didn’t even really get the time to ponder over the fact that he had let the kid stay in the same clothes for way too long as Peter jumped up from the floor with all his four-year-old energy. 

“Can I?!” Peter pretty much yelled

“Well yes- Oh and he’s gone” Tony trailed off as Peter ran off towards his bedroom, shirt in hand. “You forgot to even bring underwear! Or socks!” Tony yelled after him, his quip only being followed up by loud giggling.

Tony shook his head at the kid’s antics and quickly gathered all the things the boy needed. 

When he got to the room Peter was, from the looks of it, already attempting to rip the shirt off, this only resulting in him being completely stuck and huffing out a frustrated breath at seeing the man in the doorway.

“I’m stuck, Mr, Tony”

“Yeah I can see that” Tony chuckled.

He quickly approached the boy and knelt in front of him to help him get out of the shirt he had twisted around himself. “How did you even manage to do this?” He muttered.  
He really had to try his hardest not to start laughing at the nearly impressive pout the kid was sporting now.

“There” Tony said as he finally got the shirt off, the kid’s smile luckily already returning. He grabbed the shirt from the ground and carefully guided the kid’s arms and head in through the holes.

A loud ‘Wow!’ followed as the kid looked down at himself. “You think you can put on clean underwear and pants on by yourself, Pete?”

“Yes! Because Mommy said that I am a big boy now! And big boys don’t need help!” Peter said proudly and walked over to the bathroom, indeed successfully managing to dress himself. 

And well… Tony was just gonna ignore the pile of clothes the kid left on in a heap on the floor as the kid proudly stomped out of the room.

He rolled his eyes fondly and followed Peter back to the living room. 

“Can we make this puzzle, please?” Peter asked sweetly while at the same time already ripping open a bag of pieces.

“Uh. Yeah sure.” Tony fumbled. “Peter, don’t just rip open everything, that’s bad” Tony tried to scold.

Peter’s eyes widened and looked down at his hands where a few more pieces fell out of the bag he was holding. “Uh-oh. Sowwy Mr.Tony” Peter frowned.

Immediately Tony felt his heart squeeze in his chest for scolding the kid. “Uh… It’s okay just don’t do it again”He reasoned with a nod. 

Peter nodded softly as he opened the next bag a bit slower this time.

Tony looked around the mess that was his living room and decided to sort through it a little.  
After putting away most of the groceries the man walked over to where Peter was already well on his way with the puzzle. From the looks of it the kid really knew what he was doing which was odd considering the kid’s age.

“So how you doin’ Pete?”

“I like puzzles,” He simply answered.

“Oh that’s- That’s nice!” Tony laughed softly as he slowly sat down next to him.

“You can start on the corners Mr. Tony” Peter told him, Tony blinked and was taken aback by the command.

“Alright” He smiled and got started on what he was told to do. The puzzle looked way too advanced for a four-year-old, but he wasn’t going to comment and the boy didn’t seem to have any trouble with it.

At all.

They both got a bit lost in time and already nearly finished when a soft rumble broke through their chatter.

Tony looked at his watch and noted that it was probably time for a snack anyway.  
When he suggested it to the boy, the kid nodded excitedly.

Just as Tony was walking back into the living room he felt his phone buzz. He quickly fished it out of his pocket and frowned as Coulson’s name flashed over the screen.

He shook his head in annoyance and quickly declined the call, pocketing his phone without a second thought.

“Here ya go kiddo” Tony said and handed the kid a bowl of apple slices, which he happily accepted. 

Pretty soon they were back to finishing the puzzle, Peter begrudgingly having had to wash his hands after eating the apple slices. 

But soon enough they were chatting away while finishing the puzzle. Tony was intently listening to Peter explaining something about bugs when Tony’s phone rang again.

He maneuvered his phone out of his pocket again, while still trying to listen to Peter and looked down at the screen. 

Coulson.

Tony frowned and again, declined the call another time and went back to spending time with the kid, but not before turning off his phone.

He could deal with Coulson later. He should think a little longer about what he did to the boy, Tony decided.

Pretty soon, dinner rolled around and Tony had to focus on not burning down the kitchen in the process of making the kid food.

He successfully managed to cook them both some dinner, and it surprisingly turned out only a little bit burned. But if he gave Peter the better piece, well no one had to know. 

During dinner Tony was telling Peter about some of the tech he used in his Iron Man suits, the kid watching him with wide eyes, sometimes even forgetting to eat .

They finished eating and Tony let Peter watch some TV while he quickly did the dishes.

God he couldn’t even remember the last time he actually did the dishes.

He just finished cleaning the last plate when the man suddenly remembered, Coulson having tried to contact him earlier.

The phone maybe only rang two times when Coulson picked up.

“Evening Stark. I tried to call you” His happy voice greeted him.

“Coulson. Yeah I know I just didn’t want to listen… So what news do you have for us? Decided that you wanted to interview the kid again?”

“Uh, No sir. But I do have some news” The man told him, his voice taking on a much sadder tone.

Tony already felt his heart drop “Okay… Lay it on me”

“This afternoon we received more information about the missing airplane. The plane has been found, but sadly has indeed crashed in a forest somewhere in Spain. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parker are confirmed to be deceased” 

Silence rang out as Tony lost track of reality for a moment. His ears were ringing as he let the information sink in. 

He turned around from where he was walking over to Peter but had turned away to take the phone call in peace. 

Peter didn’t pay the man any mind and was still staring intently at the screen.

“Mr. Stark?” Coulson hesitantly asked.

“Uh yeah… Let me call you back alright? I uh- I need to put Peter to bed. I’ll call you” He stumbled out before promptly hanging up the phone. 

“Uh Peter-” He spoke up, making the kid turn around in his seat. _Pull yourself together Stark _Tony mentally scolded himself. “Time to go to bed”__

__“Can’t I watch for five more minutes Mr. Tony?”_ _

____

“No, sorry kid” 

“Can I have a bath then?”  


____

__

“Uh, sure. Yeah”

  


* * *

Among the many toys and other items Happy had bought for the kid were also an impressive amount of bath toys, which Peter happily brought with him into the bathroom.

Figuring he really couldn’t let the kid take a bath by himself, Tony followed the boy into the bathroom and helped him undress all the while Peter kept talking with loads of energy about some show he’d been watching. Paw… Something 

__

He nodded at one of the kid's stories while he finished getting the bathtub ready “In ya go” Tony said as he carefully lifted the boy into the tub. 

Per the kid’s request the tub was filled to the rim with bubbles, at some places even reaching up to the wall.

__

Bathtime apparently was a _whole experience _by itself…__

__The small room, or really compared to normal sizes not actually that small, was filled with joyous laughter as Peter splashed around._ _

__

__

__

Tony even having a small smile of his own without noticing. “Alright kid, time to wash your hair” He said and reached over to the shampoo bottles.

__

He squeezed out an amount he assumed was enough and started massaging it into the kid’s scalp 

__

The kid’s happy chatter slowly started to die down and his eyes drooped as Tony caressed his hand through his soft curls. 

__

When he was just finishing up with the kid’s conditioner, the boy was already swaying in his spot, his eyes having closed some time earlier. 

__

“Alright buddy time for bed” He said softly, Peter not even reacting much anymore. 

__

He rinsed out the last of the conditioner and easily picked up Peter from the tub, placing him down on the soft bath mat. 

__

Tony didn’t even pay any mind to how fast he had gotten comfortable around the boy and the kid had gotten comfortable around him. 

__

He carefully dried the kid’s face and hair with a brightly coloured towel and got him dressed into some soft pyjamas. The kid was nearly toppling over at this point, resulting in Tony having to do most of the work in brushing the boy’s teeth. 

__

He couldn’t remember if he was supposed to read the kid a bedtime story but since Peter was already pretty much asleep he guess he could skip this night. 

__

He easily picked Peter up and laid him down in bed, pulling the covers over his small form as Peter cuddled up around his bunny. 

__

Tony sat down at the edge of the large bed and mindlessly rubbed the kid’s back, before moving on to caress his hands through the damp curls atop his head. 

__

Peter was probably already fast asleep but still managed to smile a little at the gesture. 

__

Tony’s smile however, dropped at remembering the news from earlier. 

__

How dare he be so selfish to not immediately tell the kid he thought bitterly. He shook his head and decided on telling him tomorrow. No use in telling him now. 

__

He stood up from the and on his way out made sure to turn on the night light and leave the door open just wide enough to have some light shine into the room. 

__

He walked along the silent hallway, as he felt a wave of sadness and grief wash over him… 

__

But now was not the time to feel sorry for himself when he had a kid to look after. 

__

He straightened out his shoulders in feigned confidence and sat down at the kitchen table. He had some phone calls to make.

__

What he hadn’t realised then was that he would already do anything, to protect that kid.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a fun trip planned this Tuesday… If you’ve been following me for quite a while now you probably already know that I am European, and the whole Corona rules differ from country to country and in my country, amusement parks and everything had just been opened so I had a fun trip planned with my friend and now yesterday they said they were likely gonna set new rules today. One day before the day I’ve been looking forward to for three weeks.  
> Le sigh. It’s okay, I understand obviously, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not a little sad haha. 
> 
> But hey, the health of my _fellow humans _(English is not my first language and I was out of options okay :p) is far more important than me hanging out with my friend. There are way worse things. Does that mean I’m not allowed to be a little sad? Definitely not  
>  (Am I still gonna silently flip off everyone who didn’t listen to the fucking rules and more or less caused the massive increase…? Yes. Yes I am)__
> 
> _I’m also in quite a lot of pain at the moment due to the fact that my Fibromyalgia is kicking my ass so perhaps it’s better to not go for that reason as well, who knows!_
> 
> __Okay I’m done now :)_  
>  Thank you for reading! And a massive thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and leaving such nice comments! It makes me wake up with a smile and that is so nice _
> 
> _Know that you are loved! If you think there’s no one that loves? You are wrong! And if you still believe it, well just know that I love you :D_  
>   
> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony breaks the news to Peter.... How will the young boy take it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! We did it!  
> You made it, you made it through another year! If you’ re reading this that means that you’ve battled your way through every day. You’ve fought to be here and you will fight again because you are stronger than you think.
> 
> I hope despite the shitshow that was 2020 you are able to look back on this year and be grateful for the good times, that you’re able to feel like you’ve learned from this year and that even if it was something small you’ve experienced, that you have lived, because I think that this year has definitely taught us that happiness comes from the little things in life and that we should appreciate more.
> 
> Wherever you are right now, in life or in this world I want to wish you all the best and may 2021 be your year 
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts

Tony woke up the next morning feeling relatively relaxed and awake for the time of day. 

Lucky for him, and the boy of course, they both slept through the night without any trouble.

Tony even woke up before Peter did, which did mean he woke up way too damn early but somehow did manage to feel refreshed.

He sat up in bed and rubbed a hand over his face, quickly wiping away the last of his sleep, JARIS meanwhile opened the blinds and updated him on the weather forecast. 

According to him it would rain pretty much the entire day, only confirmed by the dark grey clouds that covered the sky and the heavy patter of rain hitting against the large windows. 

Tony let out a sigh at being awake so early, but quickly threw the covers off and placed his feet on the colder ground.

“Hey JAR, is the kid up yet?”

“It appears not so, sir. Although I do need to inform you, the young sir had woken up at approximately 3:40 am due to what appeared to be a nightmare but managed to soothe himself back to sleep.”

Tony frowned a little at that “A nightmare?”  
“Yes. Young Peter woke up and wandered around the hall for a while, but eventually went back to sleep”

“Uhm, alright. Notify me next time that kid’s wandering the halls J” Tony scolded

“Noted, sir”

Tony nodded to himself and stumbled out of bed. He wasn’t even really aware of where his feet were taking him, but he quickly found himself outside of the kid’s bedroom door. 

He blinked in confusion, shrugged to himself and slowly opened the door. Some light was already peaking into the room through the large windows but the clouds allowed the room to still be dark.

Tony smiled at the kid in front of him. The boy’s face is pressed into the pillow and his mouth fallen open slightly. 

Tony shuffled closer and knelt down in front of the boy. “Peter” His voice rang out softly. “Hey, kiddo. Time to wake up” He said a bit louder now. 

He smiled as Peter’s face scrunched up and snuffled before slowly opening his brown eyes.  
A lazy smile appeared on the kid’s face as he shuffled himself closer to Tony. “Hi”

“Hi” Tony whispered back. “Ready to get up?”

Peter nodded tiredly, not at all looking ready to wake up yet but still sitting up either way. He slightly turned in bed and let his feet peek out from under the blankets and carefully lowered himself to the ground, holding onto the blankets as a rope. 

Tony stood up with a smirk as he watched the kid climb out of bed _‘He probably should get a kid’s bed’_

As soon as the kid’s feet touched the ground Peter snapped his head towards Tony with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Peter…” Tony haphazardly warned, although he couldn’t suppress his smile.

Peter let out a cheeky giggle and then all but sprinted out of the door, his bare feet stomping on the floor of the hallway. 

Tony rolled his eyes at the kid’s behaviour “Oh now you’re gonna get it” He mumbled and ran out of the room to chase the kid.

He was met with hysterical laughter as Peter bounded through the living room and tried to hide behind the couches. The two of them quickly being sweeped up in a game of running around the couch. 

Peter ran over to the other couch and hid behind the backrest, pressing both hands over his mouth to muffle his giggling. 

Tony silently creeped closer and climbed on the couch pillows and slowly started to raise himself up over the backrest until he was looking straight down at Peter who hadn’t even noticed him yet. 

“Boo” Tony called out, Peter looking up at him and letting out a squeak before attempting to run away only to be picked up and swung over the couch by Tony, who had picked Peter up right before the kid could run away again and wrestled him into a fierce hug. “I got you now kid!” Tony laughed 

“No no!” Peter laughed loudly, his laughs turning into soft wheezes.

When Tony noticed the kid getting a bit breathless he placed him on the ground, Peter unceremoniously dropping to the floor giggling, his legs apparently weak from all the excitement. 

“What do you want for breakfast, Pete?” Tony asked

“Pancakes!”

“Pancakes it is”

* * *

It was during breakfast that Tony suddenly remembered the sorrowful news he got yesterday. Suddenly feeling full if not a bit nauseous, Tony placed his fork down and cleared his throat.

Peter was still licking off the last of the syrup on his plate as he happily bounced in his seat.

“Peter?” He started

“Hm?”

“There’s uh something that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about”

“Okay” Peter replied happily, probably expecting to be given more positive news.

“It’s about our parents”

“Oh”

“Yeah. So… God I don’t know how to say this but… Your parents. Your mom and dad decided to go away for a little, right? That’s- That’s why you are here with me. But… The plane your parents were in has crashed and they’re… God I’m sorry buddy, but they’re gone…”

“Gone?” 

“Yes… You probably feel sad or…-”

“When are they coming back?”

“They-... They aren’t coming back buddy, I’m sorry.”

“Was I bad?” Peter asked timidly

“No! No of course not Peter.”

“Why they gone? Do mommy and daddy not want me no more?” Peter asked again, getting increasingly more upset.

“No Peter that’s not it. Your… Your mom and dad… Died, Peter. They aren’t coming back”

“Died?”

“Yes.”

“Wh- Wha- Why?”

“I don’t know, kid... Do you understand what it means?”

“No…” Peter whimpered

“They uh… Died. They went to heaven? They are gone”

Peter slumped down in his chair, perhaps finally grasping the idea of his parents’ passing.

“They not coming back?” He asked in a broken voice. 

“Yes… They’re gone forever”

At that Peter started crying softly, his face scrunched up in pain as small tears dripped down his face and the sound of his crying started increasing. 

Tony was just awkwardly watching him, unsure of what to do with the situation. “Do you want a hug?” He hesitantly asked, hoping it would comfort the boy like it did before

Peter shook his head and turned away from Tony on his chair, cuddling his bunny close to his chest and rubbing his face in it’s fur. He almost seemed to kind of shut down.

Tony sighed and got up from his chair and walked over to the distraught boy. Peter turned away from him again, protectively holding the toy close.

“Peter…” 

“No…”

Deciding that he had to take action, he picked up Peter from his chair and placed him on the ground in front of him.

Peter continued on crying sadly and rubbed his eyes. 

“I’m sorry…” Tony said softly and tugged on the kid’s pyjama shirt to straighten it out.

Peter sniffled again and shuffled forward pressing his face in Tony’s neck. Tony cringed at the wet fingers brushing against his neck from where Peter had sucked on his fingers. 

Tony hugged the boy close and hesitantly started brushing his fingers through the boy’s hair. 

Pretty soon Peter was fed up with the affection and turned away from the man again. Putting up his walls it almost seemed. 

Figuring the boy needed space he decided to leave the boy alone and watched on as the kid shuffled over to the living room. 

Tony’s chest felt heavy and he felt almost as distraught as Peter. He sat down at the kitchen table and rubbed his face tiredly, but for different reasons than this morning… 

“God… What a mess. JARVIS? Any suggestions?” He sighed despondent

“I would suggest researching grief in children, sir. This way you will be able to handle the situation more accordingly” 

“Right… Can you forward me a few articles?” He mumbled, tracing patterns in the wooden table. 

“Of course, sir”

He spent the next moments reading about child grief, but found that he didn’t even really take in much information. 

All that he could gather was that each child reacts differently but it was important to stick to a routine. Routine?! Tony thought almost bitterly. He didn’t know enough about the kid to be able to stick to a routine.

He didn’t even remember a time where he felt so out of his depth as he did now. He quickly shot both Pepper and Deborah a message about the situation, Pepper luckily responding quickly

Tony:  
08:32 > Updated the kid. Didn’t take it well.

>> He won’t talk to me…

Pepper:  
08:32 > Poor kid :(

08:32 >> He must be so scared...  
Young kids don’t understand the concept of death yet. 

08:32 >>>I think it’s important to just be there for him. That’s all you can really do now.  
I know it’s difficult Tony, but you’re doing the best you can. 

Tony stared at his screen before replying a moment later. 

Tony:  
08:35 > Yeah I don’t think he really gets it

08:36 >> Thanks Pep

Pepper:  
08:36: > I can come by later?

Tony:  
08:36 > No I don’t think that will be necessary.

08:37>> Thank you though

Pepper:  
08: 37 > It’s no problem.

08:37 >> Keep me updated.

Tony:  
08:37 > Will do.

Tony quickly shut his phone off after that and looked over at the living room where Peter was silently sitting on the floor. Pushing the toy car across the floor lazily

It was a saddening scene. Seeing the usual happy kid be so quiet and withdrawn.

A surge of protectiveness suddenly came over Tony. He had to step up and be the adult. 

Memories of his own parents’ deaths came to the surface but he tried to suppress them as he had other things to attend to.

Like the poor kid in front of him, for all they knew was alone in this world at the age of four.

No. Tony decided there and then. The kid was not alone. Not anymore.

He pushed his chair back from the table and strode over to Peter, kneeling in front of the boy. Big brown eyes full of trust stared back at him.

“Hey kiddo. I know this must be very difficult, but why don't we get dressed, hm? Maybe we can go to the lab? Watch a movie?” He suggested carefully.

Peter picked at his lip and nodded before pushing himself up. 

Tony stood up again, his knees creaking and stuck out his hand towards the kid, which the boy gratefully took.

He led the boy back to his room and helped him get cleaned up and ready for the day. 

The whole time Tony talked to fill the silence. The boy just listened, not showing much emotion apart from maybe a small smile at one of his stories but that was really about it. 

On second thoughts it probably wasn’t safe for the kid to be in the lab while he was dealing with grief. He suddenly remembered an article suggesting spending time with the kid to help him deal with his emotions so that was what he suggested to the kid.

Peter just shrugged at the suggestions.

“What about a movie then?’

“Wall-E”

“Wall-E? Is that what you want to watch? Sure let’s go then!” Tony smiled, immediately jumping on the suggestion.

So that is how they ended up on the couch some moments later watching Wall-E.  
Tony caught Peter sucking on his thumb as he watched the movie but decided not to comment on it out of fear of onl upsetting the boy more.

At some point during the movie Peter tried to “stealthily” move closer until he was pressed up against Tony’s side.

Tony looked down at feeling a sudden pressure be pressed into his side and slung his arm around him.

Peter pressed his face even further into the man, eyes still fixed on the screen.

Tony smiled as Peter giggled at something in the movie, at what he didn’t even know because he was not even paying attention. Instead looking down at the kid next to him and trying to understand the peace he felt at watching the kid.

Maybe he could stay a little longer…

* * *

After the movie had come to an end Peter seemed a bit more relaxed and like himself.

It was pretty much time for lunch anyway so Tony made quick work of putting together some lunch for the two of them.

During lunch Peter luckily joined in on some of the conversation again, which made Tony feel relieved. He couldn’t help but notice however that Peter took a long time on his lunch and even left some of it still on his plate.

“Are you not going to eat that?” Tony asked

“No… I’m no hungry” Peter mumbled

Tony opened his mouth to argue but decided against it. After that he just cleaned up the table while Peter went back to playing with his toys.

Tony did remember to put away the kid’s lunch in case he would get hungry again though. 

Some time later both Tony and Peter were sitting in the living room as music played in the background. 

Tony was luckily able to answer some emails and even read more about guiding the kid through his grief when he noticed the kid getting a bit more antsy.

He frowned at the change in behaviour but before he could ask what was wrong Peter threw away the toy he was playing with.

“Hey!” Tony scolded “Why did you throw that? That’s not nice Peter.”

Peter just huffed angrily.

“Peter.” Tony warned “Why did you throw that?”

“Didn’t want to play with no more”

“Okay… That doesn't give you a reason to just throw it. That’s really bad Peter”

“No.” Peter replied angrily, while actively avoiding eye contact.

“Peter… Pick it up.”

“No!”

“Now, Peter!”

“No!” Peter pretty much screamed before promptly bursting into tears.

Tony was taken aback by the reaction.

“Peter… This is no way to behave. Pick up the toy.”

“No!” Peter cried

And of course at that very moment Coulson just had to call…

Tony grumbled and picked up the phone.

“Now is really not the time” Tony said instead of saying hello

“Mr. Stark. I was actually calling to ask how you and Mr. Parker are doing at the moment”

“Not so great at the moment. Can I call you back later?” Tony snapped, finding it increasingly harder to concentrate as Peter started crying louder.

“Mr. Stark if you and Peter aren’t getting along I can always get someone to come and collect him”

Tony was so taken aback by the statement that he didn’t even notice Peter pickin up one of his building blocks.

That was until Peter threw said building block, wooden building block, at Tony’s shin.

Hard.

“Peter! That is enough!” Tony yelled. “I’ll call you back” Tony said angrily and hung up the phone.

Peter was just staring at him, wide eyed at his sudden outburst as tears continued to stream down his face.

“Peter! We do not throw things at people!” Tony scolded. Peter didn’t respond and Tony reminded himself to calm down. This was bound to happen anyway.

He sighed ”Peter… If you don’t want to play with things anymore, you can just say so alright? Do you understand?”

Peter nodded sadly.

“Sir, if I may?” JARVIS suddenly spoke up.

“What now JAR…”

“It appears that young Peter is very tired, causing his outburst. Children his age often take naps during the afternoon and Peter seemed to have missed his, causing the tantrum”

Tony felt the blood drain from his face and looked down at his watch. It was past 02:30…. 

“Oh god Peter… I’m so sorry…” Tony scrambled, eyes wide. “God, you must be exhausted,” he sighed loudly. And wiped his hands over his face before getting up from the couch.

“Yeah” Peter whined sadly, his lower lip sticking out as he reached out his arms towards Tony. 

“Yeah?” Tony repeated with a small smile tugging at his lips, already reaching towards the small boy. 

“Yeah…” Peter repeated, nodding miserably. 

“Okay. Let’s get you to bed then”

Peter hummed in agreement.

He got to the kid’s room and got him ready for his nap.

Peter already seemed to be falling asleep after the tantrum he had.

He made sure to tuck the boy in and gently stroke his hand through the boy’s hair. “Sleep well buddy”

“Love you…” A tired voice whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oopsies... I didn't realise how long it has been....
> 
> So uh here's a chapter guys! I'll edit tomorrow since it's uh.... Two in the morning and I have to work tomorrow.
> 
> Whoops
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> Lots of love <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter yay!
> 
> Let's just pretend it hasn't been nearly a month okay?
> 
> Thank you :)

He made sure to tuck the boy in and gently stroke his hand through the boy’s hair. “Sleep well buddy”

“Love you…” A tired voice whispered back.

…

Tony gaped in shock at the soft murmur coming from the boy.

Did he? Did he hear that right?

No… The kid was probably too tired to really be aware of what he had just said. 

_And too young to realise the impact…_

Tony shook his head and got up from the bed, quickly leaving the room behind. 

His thoughts were racing but at the same time couldn’t make any sense of the noise. 

Was he getting attached? Is that what was happening? 

What was he doing… 

He unknowingly had moved towards the elevators, his body taking him to the one place he could be alone with his thoughts. 

Or drown them out with either alcohol or loud music. 

He only snapped out of his haze when the elevator doors opened to his lab, the bright fluorescent lights turning on automatically upon entering the room

....

...

Tony walked towards the tables, JARVIS immediately pulling up some of the holograms. He swiped a hand through it with a loud sigh and dropped down on one of the rolling chairs. 

Neither his eyes or his mind would focus on the blueprint in front of him.

“Sir? Are you quite alright?” The robotic voice of JARVIS spoke up.

“I- I don’t even know, JAR… The kid- He… He said that he loved me. I mean it must have been some kind of mistake. The kid’s grieving so there’s no reason why he would mean that”

“Is the child's comment the reason for your distress sir?”

“Distress… Distress. I wouldn’t call it distress, JAR. Am I making a mistake?”

“You’ve made plenty of bad choices sir, I don’t see how Peter’s declaration of love would be a mistake”

_Declaration of love…_

“It wasn’t an… It wasn’t _that._ He was confused.” Tony stated, the room staying quiet for a moment.

“What if he wasn’t?” 

Tony didn’t say anything in return.

* * *

After the little conversation he had with JARVIS, the genius attempted to get back to work, but found that he couldn’t focus on anything.

“Sir?” JARVIS spoke up after some time. 

“JAR… Just. I don’t want to be disturbed right now okay? Mute…-” Tony sighed. “Only for emergencies alright?”

“Understood, sir.”

Tony rubbed his forehead and closed his eye in an attempt to ease the building headache.

The lab was almost completely silent apart from the usual sounds from all the equipment where usually loud music filled the space. 

“Mr. Tony?”

“Jezus!” 

Tony whirled around on his rolling stool, nearly toppling over and falling off.

Peter was less lucky and fell back on his butt from the sudden exclamation. The kid didn’t seem bothered though. By neither the fall nor scaring the absolute life out of the mechanic.

“Peter!” Tony gasped, looking down at the big brown eyes of the boy. “H-How- How did you get here?”

“Mr. Jarbis let me in”

“Right. Right…” 

Peter just kept staring at him.

“Kid did you even sleep? Did he sleep JAR?” Tony asked dumbly

Peter shrugged but the voice of JARVIS quickly answered. “Young Peter seemed to have slept for about 37 minutes and has then proceeded to play in his room for another 16 minutes before asking to be brought to the lab sir.”

“Yeah, alert me next time when the kid’s wandering around the tower please.”

“I tried to, sir. But you wished not to be disturbed” _‘Then why let the kid in in the first place? Oh yeah because you have to look out for him’_ Tony thought bitterly.

“Was I bad?”

“No, no of course not kiddo. I uh just needed a moment”

“Are you sad?” Peter asked innocently

 _Was he?_ “Yeah. Yeah I guess I was…”

“Don’t be sad…” Peter stated, making the man chuckle.

He hadn’t even noticed he had closed his eyes again before he felt a sudden weight resting down on his knee.

He opened his eyes and saw Peter resting his head on the man’s leg, staring up at him. “Mommy always hug me when I sad. You want hugs?” Peter asked

Tony couldn’t help but smile “Sure kid.” He picked the kid up and placed him on his lap. Peter immediately tucked himself in the man’s side, looking curiously at all the tools laid out on the table before focussing back on Tony.

“Why you sad, Mr. Tony?”

“My name’s Tony, kiddo” Tony smiled “And… I guess I don’t really know why I’m sad. Perhaps I was a bit. Scared. Do you ever get scared?”

“Yeah sometimes… But that's okay! Mommy always says it okay to be sad or, or scared, Mr. Tony”

“Are you… Are you scared right now?” Tony asked hesitantly.

“No! Because I have you Mr. Tony!” Peter told him excitedly.

“Yeah that’s… That’s right you got me” Tony whispered.

“Can I see what you building, Mr. Tony?” Peter asked happily, oblivious to the man’s inner turmoil. 

“Of course bud”

* * *

Later that night Tony started to notice the effects of the lack of sleep in the boy again. 

Peter was currently quietly playing with a puzzle on the ground not long after dinner. The kid still had the same piece in his hand, seemingly too tired to be able to locate where it was supposed to fit. 

“Hey bud, how about we go to sleep early tonight?”

No response.

 _“Peter…”_ Tony sang “Come on kid. Time for bed.”

Again the kid ignored him.

“I’m very tired. You must be too” Tony tried.

When he again got no response he sighed and got up. “Okay to bed with you” Tony stated and simply picked Peter up from the ground, swinging him over his shoulder.

Bad decision.

As soon as the kid noticed he was being picked up he started struggling “No! No! I not tired!”

“Yeah you are. You missed your nap so I know you are exhausted. To bed with you.”

A sharp kick to the stomach along with an upset “No!” was all he got. 

“Peter! Hey!” Tony scolded and placed the kid on the ground once he reached the bathroom. “Don’t kick me. You need to go to bed, kid. Trust me on this.”

Peter pouted. “No…” He whined again.

“Okay what would help to get you, to go to bed?” Tony questioned. “Do you need a bedtime story?”

To that Peter softly nodded. 

Great.

* * *

He quickly helped Peter get ready for bed before deciding to actually get ready for bed himself

It only was 07:30 but everything to get the kid to sleep. 

And he had to admit he was pretty exhausted too.

So that is how they both got here, Peter tucked into Tony’s side, head propped up on the man’s outstretched arm as he read the kid am actual bedtime story.

The scene was… Oddly comforting and calming, Tony realized.

Tony spoke in a soft voice as Peter fiddled with the buttons on the man’s pyjama shirt, his eyes slowly drooping.

Not before long Peter’s eyes were closed.

Tony looked down at the sound of the kid’s soft breathing and pulled the comforter up a little higher, tucking them both in. 

The kid had changed him more this past weekend than anyone had ever done in years. 

The last person that made him look at his life differently was Yinsen. And he wasn’t able to help him in the way he had wanted. How he had hoped he could have saved him .

But he could help Peter…

He once again gently stroked a hand through the boy's soft curls before getting himself comfortable. The kid was basically stuck to him so might as well stay, he decided.

It was probably to blame on the fatigue for what he did next… 

He looked at Peter’s soft features before leaning down and kissing the kid on his head. 

“Love you too kiddo”. He whispered.

He could’ve sworn he saw Peter smile.

But that was probably just imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what you think? I know not much happened ( sorry I don't like it either) but I wanted to get something out for you guys
> 
> Hopefully it was still good :)
> 
> Oh have you read my most recent work yet? It's called Phoenix! 
> 
> ...And the loneliness of another lockdown is really geting to me and I know I'm probably not the only one, so feel free to message me anytime <3
> 
> You are worth all the love <3
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> Penny4yourThoughts
> 
> * The picture is not mine and all rights belong to the owner *

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? This idea popped up in my head yesterday and I have been workingon it since then! I'm not a 100% sure where to go from here yet, so if you have any ideas or suggestions let me know!
> 
> I really hoped you enjoy! Don't forget to leave a kudo and write a comment <3
> 
> I wish you a lovely day :)
> 
> O Penny4yourThoughts


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